Thieves United
by Mishirure
Summary: Full Summary on first chappie. More questions arise in chapter 11. Mishelle's motives are unknown, and Merah and Robin are beginning to become a little suspicious. What could they be doing? And what's this about Harry being in love? Read and find out! XD
1. New Criminal, New Case Pt 1

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Thieves United

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_**Summary:**_ Now a cop, Sly is finding his new chosen life to be quite enjoyable. He has a beautiful working partner, the lovely Carmelita, has the freedom to roam around... the only downside is that Bentley and Murray, his life long friends, weren't there. And when Dimitri shows up at the Louvre museum, and Sly has to take him down, he realizes how much he misses his life with his friends.

Then, a female thief shows up carrying Sly's old cane and wearing his costume. Thinking that Bentley and Murray replaced him, he goes and tries to get some information out of her, only finding out that, yes, this new (beautiful) female thief knew Bentley. With the help of a fellow officer, Modesta Tavita, Sly and Carmelita try to figure out information about this thief.

Meanwhile, Bentley and Penelope know of a dangerous object that could possible destroy the world ifpaired with the 'elements', and a black cat thief is trying to get a hold of it.

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_**Disclaimer:**_ Yeah. No, I don't own Sly Cooper.

If I did, you wouldn't even have read my last story...

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**PARIS, FRANCE: 2:34 AM**

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The alarm faded into the distance as the agile Sly Cooper made his way expertly through the dark halls of the Louvre museum. He jumped up onto a railing going down a set of stairs, and did a perfect rail-slide to give him more speed. Landing on the floor, he sprinted quickly. He saw his objective directly in front of him. Smiling, he ran a little faster, and before it could get away, he jumped, and… 

_**WHAM!**_

Tackled it to the ground. The lizard who had tried to steal a painting was laying on his front on the tiled-floor with Sly sitting on his back. Pulling out a pair of handcuffs, the newly-recruited Constable Cooper slapped them onto the lizard's wrists. The lizard was in fact Dimitri, a previous member of the Cooper Gang, but of course, Sly didn't '_remember_' that.

"Nice try, Dimitri," Sly said as he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the echoing hall. "You put up a good fight."

"This doesn't seem at all like you, bro," Dimitri said. "What happened to springin' a brother out of jail, eh? We used to be team-mates."

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about," Sly replied, though this was a lie. He felt bad for sacking Dimitri after he had helped so much with recovering the Cooper vault. But he was a cop now.

"Ah," Dimitri said, sounding disheartened. "What the pretty Penelope says is true; the Amnesia has suffered your mind, bro! _Suffered your mind_!"

"Cooper!" A voice called, and Sly looked up to see Carmelita standing there with two other officers, her shock-pistol in hand. The light on top of the barrel was shining down on Sly and Dimitri. She looked somewhat surprised to see her partner sitting on the back of the slimy-looking lizard.

"No problem, Carmelita," Sly said with a dashing grin. IT always made him smile to see her. "I saved you the trouble of tiring yourself out. He's ready to be hauled away."

"Cooper…" Carmelita started, sounding… well, shocked. Then she smiled. "Great work! Take him away, boys."

"Free your mind, bro," Dimitri said as Sly got off of him so the other cops could carry him off. "It suffers. Free your mind!"

"Stop talking crazy, Dimitri," Sly answered, and followed the other cops as he was dragged away. Carmelita fell into step next to him, and she gave him a smile.

"You did well today," She said to him. He smiled back at her.

"I had an excellent trainer," He replied, winking, and together, they exited the Louvre. Once outside, something caught his attention down the street. It was a van, hidden by the shadows, though Sly could still make out the interesting paint job. Flames were painted along the sides and on the hood of it, and on the side, he managed to make out the symbol of the Cooper Clan painted on its side before it disappeared, turning sharply around a corner out of sight.

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_Well, I'm still here. Ex-thief, Sly Cooper. I'm Constable Cooper, now, and partners with Carmelita Fox. Things couldn't be better. We've been together for a while. As partners, not as a couple, though we have been getting a lot closer lately. She just can't resist my charm._

_Being a cop isn't actually as bad as most thieves would think. You get great perks; like going to free shows, and parties. You get to park anywhere. I actually really like it. I can relate to arresting people with taking out thieves that have stood in my way on missions in the past. I feel bad for some of the guys, but I'm a cop now. It's my job._

_There is one downside to being a cop, though. Even though I have a beautiful and strong working partner, good perks, and the right to walk around Paris without having the cops called on me, I still can't help but feel a little lonely. All this time, I've faked having amnesia just so I could get closer to Carmelita on new terms. But… I've also betrayed my friends in a way. The guys who have stood by me for years and have helped me loyally and faithfully through everything. I kind of let them down. I left them behind. All because I wanted a chance to be with Carmelita. I can't feel any worse about myself. They were willing to do anything for me; even get hurt in the process like Bentley did. And I thanked them by leaving the team. _

_It's been almost a year since those events on the island. I still remember them clearly. And after coming back to Paris to be a cop alongside Carmelita, I haven't seen or spoken to Bentley, Murray, Penelope, or any of the other guys since. Arresting Dimitri tonight was the only encounter I've had with any of my former team-mates for months, and I had to pretend like I didn't know them._

_If my Dad were alive, would he be proud of me for my choice? Would have supported me? Maybe if he was alive, all of this would be different… don't get me wrong, I love my time with Carmelita. But… I dunno, there's still something missing._

_Seeing that van tonight made me realize how much I missed being a thief. The thrill of the heists, the thrill of stealing, the thrill of outrunning the cops. I missed everything about it. And most of all, I missed being with my friends. I shouldn't have cut them out from my life like I did. They probably all hate me for it._

_I hope I'll get the chance to see them again sometime. And hopefully not behind bars like Dimitri's ended up._

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**Sly Cooper In:**

_New Criminal, New Case_

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Sly kept looking at the spot where the old team van had been before, and then he sighed, and followed Carmelita to her car. It had been a long night. Every since they got the call to track Dimitri, the two of them had done nothing but work all day. Actually, it had been mostly work ever since he recruited as Constable.

'_At least when I was a thief I could pick my vacations,_' Sly thought, crossing his arms over his chest, and looking back over to where the van had been a few moments earlier.

"Something wrong, Sly?" Carmelita asked, cutting through his thoughts. He looked back at her, and pasted one of his trademark smiles on his face.

"Nothing at all, Gorgeous," He said charmingly. Carmelita smiled at him, a flirty look in her beautiful brown eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but a crackle from her radio made her stop.

"Inspector Fox!" An alarmed voice said on the other end. The voice had a slight Latin accent to it. It belonged to a woman named Modesta Tavita, a fellow officer Sly had come to know and like very much as a friend. Carmelita pulled open the driver's side door, and took the radio in her hand, holding it up to her mouth so she could speak into it.

"What is it, Constable Tavita?" Carmelita asked.

"A thief has just been spotted escaping the Louvre through an upper window. I don't know what item they took, but I thought it would be best to tell you." Modesta explained hurriedly.

"Which way did they go?" Carmelita demanded.

"Due east, Inspector," Modesta replied.

"I'll go after them," Sly said to Carmelita, and before she had a chance to say otherwise, Sly took off running, headed east where Modesta had seen the thief go. Since he still remembered all of his thieving moves, he found it faster an easier to get around on foot.

Once out of sight from the other cops, Sly found a lamp post, and climbed his way up, jumping onto a rooftop nearby, and running along those. What better way to catch a thief than to think like a thief, right? This criminal would undoubtedly stick to the rooftops, for most cops just didn't seem to know that. Well, Sly would certainly surprise them.

After about twenty minutes, Sly caught sight of them, jumping from roof to roof with ease. Speeding up to catch up with them, he did a Ninja-Spire jump on a lamp post, and jumped onto the next roof. He was nearing them, now, and as he got closer, he thought he was looking at himself. It was definitely another raccoon, and they seemed to be holding something long in their hand, with a hook on the end… could it possibly be his cane? He had left it behind with a calling card on Dr. M's island for Bentley and Murray to find. Would they have possibly given it to another raccoon thief?

To his utter surprise, the thief slowed to a stop, and looked back out to where the Louvre had been. But then they caught sight to Sly, and high-tailed it away again. Sly picked up his own pace. Man, this guy was fast!

The chase continued for a good fifteen minutes before two of the buildings were too far apart to jump because of a street below with cars passing by. This new thief, instead, found the electrical wire going between the two buildings, and started to do a rail-walk over to the other side, but slipped, and used the hook of their cane to grab hold of the wire to keep from falling to the ground. Sly stopped, and looked over the edge of the building. The thief was using their cane as a rope, and trying to climb up.

"Well," Sly said. "This is certainly interesting. I didn't think there were any other raccoon thieves around."

The thief looked up at him, but he couldn't see their eyes because of the hat they wore. It was incredibly similar to the hat he had worn while he was a thief… could it possibly be the same one? No… the color was darker.

"Well," the thief said, a smile spreading across their hidden features. "The world is just full of surprises, isn't it?"

Sly was a little surprised. Listening to the voice, he realized for the first time the thief was female. She didn't have any noticeable accent, but her voice was smooth and cunning, almost hypnotizing. She finally managed to grab hold of the electrical wire, and she pulled herself up onto it, going slow so she could keep her balance. Sly put a hand on his side instinctively, ready to pull out the gun in his holster if needed. Yeah, he carried a gun now; it was a job requirement, but it was more like a kind of tranquilizer, and didn't kill.

Tipping her hat by pushing the rim up with her thumb, he twirled her cane in her hand, and took off across the wire to the other roof again. Sly followed quickly after, and managed to just grab the end of her cane, making her stop. He didn't let go.

"So, are you the new officer on my case?" She asked innocently. "Too bad… I'm going to miss Macey, he was a cute guy."

"No, I'm just the officer who was told you track you down." Sly replied. "What did you steal?"

"Surprisingly, nothing." She said, giving her cane a little tug against his grip, but it was obvious he wasn't letting go. Sly just tightened his grip on the handle, and pulled her a little closer so he could slap the cuffs on her quickly.

"Then why were you at the Louvre?" Sly demanded. Then he looked at her clothes, and noticed that, yes, it was like looking at a mirror of himself. From the past, anyway. She was wearing his thieving outfit! "And why are you wearing my clothes?" The girl just laughed a little.

"Man, oh man, you're totally clueless, aren't you?" She asked. Then she started to giggle again. Sly was getting aggravated. With a sneaky swipe, he pulled her hat off her head with his free hand. Her silverish-blue eyes, which he could now see, twinkled in amusement, and the corner of her mouth was turned up in a sly little smile. She was really quite beautiful with long, strait, lustrous dark hair that fell half way down her back, and it was parted on the side. The classical black 'mask' like markings were around her eyes in the traditional raccoon fashion, and her ringed tailed swished about lazily. Just as quickly as Sly had pulled her hat off her head and got a good look at her, she swiped it back and managed to pull her cane out his slackened grip with ease. He made a futile grab for it, but she danced out of his reach before he could even come close to touching her. Sly gritted his teeth, his normal casual and relaxed demeanor totally replaced with one of irritation and anger. Had his months working as a cop made him lose all of the sneaky thieving ways he had once been a master at?

"I'll give you one thing," The girl said, tucking her hair back up into her hat, and pulling the rim low so her eyes were slightly hidden. "You don't give up. Bentley said you wouldn't."

"Bentley?" Sly asked in surprise, his head snapping up at the sound of his friend's name. "How do you know Bentley?"

"He gave you a little too much credit, though," She said, crossing her arms and surveying him with a doubtful expression. "I thought this would be obvious to you."

"What was obvious?" Sly asked slowly.

"Dimitri at the Louvre?" She said in a question, as if asking if he was getting it. "Me, dressed like you? C'mon, Cooper, think about it. Think like Bentley. Or have you _really _suffered from amnesia all this time?"

"Look, I don't know what you're –" Sly started, but the girl cut him off with a sigh.

"I guess if it's not clicking, it never will," She said, sounding a little sad. "Too bad. Bentley and Murray were counting on me to get you back after you arrested Dimitri. They miss you a lot. I'll just have to tell them you don't feel the same."

And, with a little salute, she literally did a back flip off the roof, and fell to the streets below. Sly ran to the edge, and looked over to see her gliding away on none other than a Paraglider. He smiled in spite of himself. If that girl was trying to imitate him as a thief, she was definitely doing a good job.

"Sly!" Carmelita said urgently into the radio attached to his belt. "Sly, come in! Did you get the thief?"

"No," Sly answered into the radio after he had pulled it from his belt, still watching the girl as she flew away. "I saw her face, though. A raccoon thief."

"It… was a girl?" Carmelita asked.

"Yeah," He answered, finally tearing his eyes away from where that thief had gone, and scanning the ground below for Carmelita. "Where are you? I'm going to head back, now."

"I can see you on the roof now," She said. "I've just turned a corner."

Sure enough, Sly saw the police car they shared for work, and finding a drain pipe that went down the side of the building, he climbed down, heading for the car. Carmelita got out, and climbing out of the passenger side was Modesta Tavita. She was a pretty girl, a cream-colored Persian cat with a curly, shoulder-length blonde hair and golden-green eyes. She was sweet, police and caring, and always had a kind word or a friendly smile for anyone in the office. But right now, she wasn't smiling. Sly gave her a little wave.

"Lost them?" Modesta asked, her fluffy tail swishing from side to side in irritation. She rarely ever got like this, except when she was working.

"Yeah," He answered. "I managed to see the thief, though. We can look through the files tomorrow at work and see if we can dig up a picture, and possibly a name."

"Sorry I called you guys so late," Modesta apologized, bowing her head in shame.

"Nonsense," Carmelita said in surprise. "You were a great help. Come on, we'll give you a ride home."

"That'd be helpful," The cat said, finally showing a pretty smile. Letting Modesta climb into the back first, Sly sat in the front passenger side, and Carmelita in the driver side. Then, all tired and wanting to be in bed, they rode home. As Carmelita drove, however, Sly couldn't get out of his mind what that female raccoon thief had said about Bentley. How did she know him? And Dimitri? Had they planned something to get him back in the old gang?

'_Sorry, guys._' Sly thought sadly, staring out the window and watching the buildings go by. '_But this is my life now…_'

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Meanwhile, back in the van Sly had seen earlier, Bentley Turtle sat at his computer, monitoring the actions of the female thief he had hired to impersonate Sly. His plan had been for Sly to see her in his costume, and make him realize just how much he missed being a thief. Because Bentley knew thieving was important to him. If it wasn't, why would he keep using the moves he had learned from the Thievius Raccoonus? But that was only his plan B. Plan A was with Dimitri. If Sly caught up to Dimitri and recognized how much he had helped Sly with opening his family's vault, then maybe he'd consider talking. But that was no go, and now a team member was in jail. 

Sighing when he watched on the screen the car carrying Sly drive away, Bentley rubbed his eyes tiredly behind his glasses. His girlfriend, Penelope, came up, and planted a kiss on his cheek, trying to make him feel better. She knew he was disappointed Sly didn't come running.

"She lost him," Bentley said flatly.

"Well, didja really expect for her to actually get him to come and look for us?" Penelope asked. Then she glowered at the screen, watching as the girl dressed like Sly made her way back to the van. "She spoke in riddles to him, no wonder why he didn't get it."

There was a knock at the van's bar doors, and the female raccoon let herself in. She removed her hat as she walked into the van, letting her beautiful hair cascade down her back, and going behind a screen that had been set up so she could change out of her copy of Sly's costume.

"You lost him," Bentley accused, and Penelope glared at the shapely figure behind the screen. She hated this raccoon girl.

"Hey," The thief shot back in a sharp tone. "I did my best, okay? Maybe he doesn't want to come back, did you ever consider that?"

"Listen, this is important!" Bentley protested, trying not to watch the shadow behind the screen. "We need Sly's help with this. If you would have told his strait out that we needed him, he could have come running right away."

"You told me my job was to present myself to him as himself." She said, and Bentley could see her shadow pulling her long hair back into a casual pony tail. "You never told me I had to lead him like a dog to you."

Bentley didn't say anything, and the raccoon thief peeked from behind the screen.

"If he wanted to come back, he would have run off to look for you as soon as I uttered your name." She said pointedly before drawing her head out of view again.

"Saying my name wasn't enough," Bentley snapped. "If you would have told him strait up that we needed his help, instead of talking in riddles, he'd be here!"

The girl came out from behind the screen wearing a black t-shirt and a comfortable yet stylish pair of jeans and a blue jacket. She gave Bentley a sad, apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," She said, sounding honest. "I did all I could. He could have figured my 'riddles' out on his own, though, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Bentley said. Then he sighed. "You did… fine."

"Call me up any time you need more help, okay?" The girl said.

"Yeah, sure," The turtle answered. Then he pulled a roll of cash from a pocket on his chair, and handed it to her. "Here; the money we owe."

She took it, counting a thousand dollars. Then, she counted five hundred, and handed it back to Bentley.

"I didn't get done what you needed me to do," She explained. "So I can't take all your money."

'_What a fake_," Penelope thought bitterly, crossing her arms over her chest. Bentley took back the money she handed him, and gave a weak smile.

"Take care," He said to the raccoon girl.

"See ya," She said, and let herself out of the van, and closing it shut, she left. Penelope grunted.

"I hate her." She said flatly.

"Well, as much as you detest her, Penelope, she's helped us at least a little bit," Bentley said, wheeling back over to his computer. "She helped us let Sly know we miss him. That's a start at least."

Murray, who hadn't said anything while the thief was there, piped up. "So what now, Bentley?"

"We'll head back to the hideout," Bentley ordered. "And we'll figure something out from there. Once we spring Dimitri free of jail, we'll make another plan to get Sly back. We really need his help…"

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The next morning, Sly and Carmelita rode in the car together to work, stopping at Starbucks to get a coffee. Sly didn't like coffee all that much, but it helped him wake up, as when he was a thief, he'd normally be asleep at this hour. Once on their way again, Sly yawned widely. 

"Am I keeping you awake, Sly?" Carmelita asked, flashing him a smile. He chuckled softly, stretching a little.

"Sadly yes," He replied, returning her grin. He checked his watch, the smile falling from his face, and sighed. "It's only seven thirty… Why did I suggest coming to work early today?"

"You didn't suggest it," Carmelita pointed out. "It's the requirement for our job."

"I hate getting up early," Sly grumbled, slouching in his seat. He sipped his coffee out of the Styrofoam cup he was holding, and winced at the horrible flavor. "Carmelita, why do you drink coffee? It's bad for you, it tastes awful, and smells worse."

"It keeps me awake during the day when I only get a couple hours of sleep," She explained, smiling slightly. "I just don't even taste it anymore."

"Probably because the caffeine killed your taste buds." Sly shot back with perfect timing. She just laughed. Sly smiled. He liked to hear her laugh.

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"'Morning, James," Carmelita said lazily to a guy walking down the hall. He gave both Sly and Carmelita a wave as they walked down the hallway to her office. They shared it now, as Sly's office wasn't finished going through renovations. 

The sound of beeping telephones, the constant typing of computer keyboards and the babble of fellow officers talking with one another filled the whole office. The centre of the large office was taken up by many computer desks, each officer having his or her own little space thanks to the wonder of cubicle dividers. Only a few lucky and top officers managed to get a whole office to themselves.

"Oh, Sly!" A voice called, and the raccoon turned to see Modesta hurrying up to him. She looked nice today; her curly blonde hair was pulled back into a casual pony-tail with her bangs left hanging down, framing her face. Her white V-neck shirt complimented her willowy shape, and she wore a flowing, knee-length black skirt with inch-high heeled sandals.

"'Morning, Carmelita," She added to the vixen who was standing next to Sly. Carmelita gave a wave as she took a drink of her coffee.

"Find anything out on our thief yet, Modesta?" Sly asked. Modesta's black-tipped ears went back, and she looked a little nervous suddenly.

"Well… no." She said finally after a moment's hesitation. "I looked though. Through the computer files, through the hard files, and I even asked the Chief if he had any files, but… nothing."

"Step into my office," Sly said with a British accent in a business like voice, throwing an arm over her shoulders like a big brother, and leading her along. "We'll talk and figure something out."

Carmelita unlocked the office door, and after stepping inside first, let Sly and Modesta enter. Taking a seat at her desk and Sly taking his usual position leaning up against the desk, Modesta made herself comfortable in the wooden chair facing Carmelita.

"So," Carmelita said, signing into her computer. She moved some papers around on her desk to find a place to put her coffee while it booted up. "What did this thief look like, anyway?"

"She was…" Sly held up a hand near his nose, measuring mentally how tall the thief must've been compared to him. He moved it to his chin, and then said, "About this tall. Skinny, but not anorexic. Nice body; she looked like an athlete."

Carmelita cleared her throat irritably. Sly looked back at her, and smiled.

"Don't worry, Carmelita," He said casually. Then he went back to his description. "Long dark hair… brown, I think, I'm not sure, it was dark. Her eyes were… kinda silverish-blue, and she had a mischievous smile. Generally pretty. Smooth talker, she was, she knew her way with words."

"Clothing description?" Carmelita asked, and Sly could hear a bite of anger in her voice. She was totally jealous. He would make it up to her once Modesta left.

"She was wearing… navy blue. A hat, gloves, knee-high boots, and she carried a cane with a golden hook on the end."

Carmelita stopped typing on her computer and looked up at Sly sharply. He had just basically described what he used to wear while he was a thief. Was this some sort of strange coincidence? Sly looked at her curiously, though he knew perfectly well why she appeared so shocked.

"What's the matter?" He asked. She cleared her throat, and went back to her computer.

"Nothing, nothing…" She said. She hit the enter key, and only came up with one file match, and that was Sly's criminal file. But she definitely knew Sly wasn't this new thief, because he had been chasing them. Besides, he had said the thief was female. "There's nothing here."

"Even with a description?" Modesta asked, her ears pushing back again. "I was just looking through all the records of raccoon thieves, but I didn't find anything on a female thief."

"Wait a second," Sly said suddenly. "When I managed to catch her for a second, she asked if I was the new officer on her case. Then she said she was gonna miss… Macey, I think she said. She said he was a cute guy."

"Macey?" Carmelita asked. "There's no Macey in this branch of Interpol. At least not any male Macey's, anyway."

"Unless it's a nick name." Sly said. Carmelita typed a bit on her computer, and shook her head slightly.

"I don't have police records on my computer," She said. "We'd have to go see the secretary for those."

"I have them on my computer," Modesta said, getting to her feet. "The secretary let me copy them into my hard drive because I did a lot of work on police history."

"Show us," Carmelita said, getting up, and, pilling out of her office again, they all went to Modesta's cubicle. On the way down the hall, they heard some kind of commotion come from an office next to the Chief's. Sly heard Carmelita give a snort.

"J.R. is making a big deal about something again," She said flatly, clearly showing her dislike for Inspector Ralston, but Modesta turned to his door hopefully, her eyes bright.

"Modesta…?" Sly asked curiously. J.R. burst out of his office them, obviously mad. He was tall and broad-shouldered, and really quite handsome, but totally arrogant. Sly didn't much like him, either; he was a bully, and acted like he was the king of Interpol. He was a black and white malamute, and usually walked with his chest puffed out proudly. His hazel eyes made most of the women in the office melt, and Modesta was one of those women. She was so infatuated with J.R., she couldn't string two short words together whenever he was around.

"Stupid idiot Westwood…" J.R. grumbled, storming past Modesta without even seeing her. He saw Carmelita, though, and much to Sly's utmost annoyance, pasted a charming grin on his face. She just raised a brown, and gave him a 'what-the-heck-do-you-want?' look.

"Carmelita," J.R. said in a low voice.

"Hello, Jamison," Carmelita said airily, staring to walk away, but J.R. caught her arm.

"Listen, Fox, I was thinking... maybe you and I could get together this Friday night and… get to know each other better?" He started to drape an arm around Carmelita's shoulders, but Sly stepped in between them, trying to make himself look taller and bigger compared to J.R.

"Sorry," Sly said, trying to keep the annoyance and anger out of his voice. "But she has other plans."

"Hey," J.R. said, looking down at Sly like he was a worm. "Move it, Witt."

"It's Sly," The raccoon snapped, folding his arms across his chest. "And I'm not going to 'move it' until you leave Inspector Fox alone. Obviously she's not interested."

"Why are you speaking for her?" J.R. demanded, getting right in Sly's face. His hazel eyes were full of hatred for Sly. "Afraid you'll lose to me?"

"I don't have anything to lose when it comes to you, Ralston." Sly said smugly. J.R. gritted his teeth.

"You little punk!" He yelled, and made to punch Sly, but he dodged it easily.

"J.R., stop it!" Carmelita yelled, pushing him away from Sly. "I'm already doing something this Friday. So, I'll have to pass, thanks."

"Alright, then," J.R. said, completely forgetting Sly, and turning to gaze at Carmelita with a devilish smirk. "Some other time, then."

'_Whatever_." Carmelita thought, but she nodded, and said without a hint of enthusiasm, "Some other time."

Giving Carmelita a smile, and then turning to Sly, who was still glaring at him, J.R. snarled, and snapped, "I'll beat you to a pulp some other time, Witt."

"Yeah, hopefully I won't hurt you too bad. I wouldn't want such a stupid idiot like yourself to get brain damage." Sly replied. "And it's Sly."

J.R. walked away without another word. Both Carmelita and Sly heard Modesta give a tiny yet really miserable Sly behind them.

"He didn't even notice me…" She said sadly.

"Believe me, Modesta," Sly said, glaring at J.R. retreating back. He put an arm around Modesta in that big brother way again, and let her on to her cubicle. "You can do so much better than Jamison Ralston. He's a jerk."

"But a really, really hot jerk," Modesta said, a small smile forming on her lips. Sly sighed, but smiled at her.

"Okay," He said. "I'm gonna set you up. Anyone other guy in this office would be perfect for you. They'll treat you properly, unlike J.R."

"And besides," Carmelita added, having completely let stray from her mind that J.R. had just hit on her. "If you go out with J.R., you'll have to tolerate the Chief. J.R.'s his nephew, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Modesta said. "But –"

"No," Sly cut her off. "Trust us, Modesta; we're doing you a favor."

* * *

It was a few hours later, and Sly was pacing the floor restlessly behind Modesta's computer chair. Carmelita was looking over the cat's shoulder, looking over the files. 

"Macey Cook…" Modesta read aloud. "Macey Robertson… Macey Grey… there's no male Macey's! You're sure this thief said Macey was a guy, right?"

"Yeah, and she said he was cute," Sly said. He stopped his pacing, and tapped the side on his mouth, thinking. Then he gave an aggravated grumble, and messed up his own hair. "I can't think of anything anymore!"

"Try Mace," Carmelita suggested, sitting on Modesta's desk. "Like Sly said earlier, Macey might just be a nickname."

"Okay…" Modesta said, and typed it into the file search, hitting enter. She read off some of the names. "There's a few, but none of these Mace's are in the Paris branch."

"Maybe it's a last name, then," Sly mused, looking over Modesta's shoulder. She tried again, and came up with a few names.

"Alan Mace," She said. "Liam Mace. Lukas Mace. James and Jamie mace."

"No, they're all from different branches," Sly said. He shook his head slightly. "Look for any Mace in Pairs."

"R.H. Mace?" Modesta asked.

"Rob?" Carmelita questioned. "He's a Detective. He should be on big, huge murder cases, not doing Inspector work like tracking a thief."

"Robin H. Mace, eh?" Sly said. "Office 203. That's next to J.R.'s office."

"Well, at least we don't have to hunt around the entire building for him, then, do we?" Carmelita said, sliding off Modesta's desk. "Come, Modesta. We're going to talk to Robin."

Sly lead the way to Robin's office, and he knocked politely on the door. Rob wasn't a really well-known officer because he was out of the office so much. Sly was worried today would be like every day. But he sighed in relief when he heard a British voice from behind the door call, "It's open!"

Sly pushed his way inside. The guy who he suspected to be Robin was sitting at his desk, ruffling through some files.

"Robin Mace?" Sly asked. The guy looked up.

"Yeah, that's me," He said, his English accent obvious. Robin was a red fox, his fur a little darker than Carmelita's. He had deep brown eyes, and a kind smile. He was still wearing his long, worn, brown trench coat. He was leaning back in his chair, looking fairly relaxed, though there was a bemused expression as to why three officers, two of them being beautiful women, were standing in his doorway.

"Nice to meet you, Detective Mace," Sly said politely, walking into the office to shake hands. Robin shook his hand with a firm grip. "I'm Constable Cooper."

"Ah, yes," Robin said, getting to his feet, a big smile on his face. "Inspector Fox's partner. Great work, by the way, Miss Fox, I admire your dedication to your job."

"Thank you, Detective," Carmelita said in slight surprise, but she masked it quickly.

"Why aren't you out of the office today?" Modesta asked.

"No dirty work to put a stop to, I guess," Robin said airily, flashing a friendly smile her way. "Chief hasn't sent me out on a case in a while. This seems kind of odd to me."

"We were meaning to ask you," Sly said suddenly. "It's why we're here, actually… do you have a file on a female raccoon thief?"

Robin laughed at this, and flopped back into his computer chair. "Ringo, you mean?"

"I don't know her name," Sly said. "Modesta saw her leave the Louvre museum last night, and I followed her. It took us a while to figure out who the officer on her case usually was, because she referred to you as 'Macey'."

"Oh, that Ringo, always making jokes and talking in riddles," Robin said, settling back into his chair, and pulling his arms behind his head. "She's quite crafty."

"I know, she out ran me pretty easily, and that doesn't always happen," Sly said, grinning at how relaxed Robin seemed to be about this whole thing. He liked this guy. He obvious knew where his head was, didn't stress over things and didn't think he was higher than anyone else, unlike J.R. who marched around like he owned the place.

"We wanted her file, if possible," Carmelita said. Robin smiled at her.

"I don't have a file on her." He said simply. "I prefer to keep everything in memory. Even after all the years I've pursued Miss Ringo, there's not really much I know about her. So little, in fact, that having a file at this point in time useless."

"Well, could you tell us about her?" Modesta asked.

"She's good at impersonating other people," Robin said. "She likes disguises, and she's good at making herself look like someone else. She's really quite cunning, witty, charming. She certainly knows her way with the opposite sex."

"Ah, a flirty one, is she?" Sly asked, grinning. Yeah, he definitely liked Robin and his view on this Ringo girl.

"A total flirt," Robin said, smiling back. "I'm afraid that's all I have, though."

"Well, it's better than nothing," Carmelita said.

"Thanks for your help, Detective," Sly said, holding his hand out to the fox.

"Call me Robin," He said, giving Sly's had a squeeze before letting go.

"Sly," the raccoon said, and gave a little salute to the fox. "We should work together sometime."

"I'd enjoy that," Robin said. "The isolation with my position is, frankly, quite annoying. It'll be nice having other officers around."

"Just give us a call whenever you need us," Sly said, grinning at him. "See you."

As Sly closed the office door, Carmelita gave it a dirty look.

"He doesn't keep any files on her?" She questioned irritably. "What kind of detective _is _he? Detectives are supposed to have _mountains _of files!"

"Relax, Carmelita," Sly said. "It wasn't completely useless. We know her name now."

"I know, but… we don't know where she came from, or… or… anything! Except what she's like." Carmelita complained.

"It's better than nothing," Sly said. Then he turned to Modesta. "Thanks for your help, Modesta. We really needed it."

"No problem," She said with a grin, smoothing her white V-neck shirt. "Just call me whenever you need me, okay?"

"Sure thing," Sly said, and together, he and an irritated Carmelita walked back to their shared office.

Meanwhile, back in Robin's office, once Sly had closed the door, he pulled out a folder from his desk, and flipped it open. There, on the top, was a picture of the thief Sly had seen the night before, paper clipped to all the information he knew of her. Taking the picture, Robin looked at it for a long time, and then whispered, "They're onto you, my darling… what are you doing that's causing other officers to want to track you down?"

* * *

**A/N: **W00t! W00t! W00t! New story! 

Wow, okay, this one, I have a HUGE plan for. It's really twisted and full of a whole bunch of little stories… yeah, I like this one, and I think you all will, too. Please tell me what you think, and R&R!

Mishi

* * *


	2. New Criminal, New Case Pt 2

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**Discliamer: **No, I don't own Sly Cooper. If I did, I'd be rolling around in money, right now, and writing the script for the next game.

* * *

**__**

**PARIS, FRANCE: 3:45 PM**

* * *

Bentley was sitting at his computer again, now back at their hideout, typing away. For hours, he had been trying to form a plan that would get Sly back into the gang. And to try and break Dimitri out of jail. But so far, he was getting no where.

"The Diamond is still there," Penelope announced, walking up to stand beside him. "I've just checked the security cameras."

"Good…" The turtle murmured, still lost in thought. Penelope saw this, and went to go sit down at the table with Murray, so she could eat.

'_The only way we could get Sly back…_' Bentley thought, chewing on a pen. '_Is if we go to him in person. But… he rarely strays from Carmelita's side, and he's always at the Interpol office…_'

"We need to spy on him…" Bentley muttered under his breath aloud, and after staying really still for a few minutes, wrote that down on a piece of graph paper with the pen he was chewing on. Penelope looked up from her food.

"What?" She asked.

"We need to spy on him." Bentley repeated, this time louder. "We need to watch his usual daily life to see when he's alone. Obviously dropping hints for him isn't working."

"I don't understand, Bentley," Murray said. "Why can't we just get that thief girl to steal those jewels, and leave Sly alone?"

"Because she'd ask for pay," Penelope said irritably.

"Well, that, and the fact that Sly is our best friend, and she… isn't." Bentley said. "Anyway, once we find out what hours of the day he's alone, we'll sneak into his apartment, and ask him to help us. That's the best plan we have at this point in time."

"It's better than getting Ringo to do it again…" Penelope grumbled, crossing her arms irritably over her chest.

"Wait a sec… didn't that Ringo girl say something about having a friend in Interpol?" Murray asked suddenly.

"Why?" Penelope asked.

"Well…" Murray said hesitantly. "I thought… maybe, if we could get her to ask her Interpol friend, he'd tell Sly we wanted to meet him, and it would save us the trouble of having to spy on him. Really, I don't think spying on our best friend is all that nice..."

Bentley stared at him with a rather dumbfounded expression. Murray lowered his head.

"Just a suggestion…" He muttered.

"That idea…" Bentley said slowly. "Is…. Fabulous! You're a genius, Murray!"

"I am?" Murray asked.

"I can't believe I didn't think of that!" Bentley said excitedly, typing on his computer keyboard.

"So… what are you doing?" Penelope asked.

"I'm sending Ringo an e-mail," Bentley said. "Sly should be back on the team by tomorrow afternoon if this works out! Amazing!"

* * *

Carmelita sighed, removing her glasses from her eyes, and rubbing them tiredly. She leaned back in her computer chair, and Sly, who had been writing what Robin had told them about Ringo on a piece of paper, looked up at her.

"What's up?" He asked.

"I still find it ridiculous that Robin doesn't keep a file on this Ringo person," She said, looking at him. "It just… doesn't make sense! It's a job requirement that any Interpol officer should always keep files on their cases."

"Well," Sly said, going back to his scribbling on the piece of paper. "He's either keeping it secret for his own reasons. Or, he's telling the truth, and he doesn't have one."

"Why do you want to track this thief, anyway?" Carmelita asked, surveying him for a long time. "She isn't one of our cases."

"She –" Sly started, but then he realized, if he told the truth as to why he wanted to track Ringo down, it would tell Carmelita he didn't really have amnesia. He knew he would be faced with this problem sooner or later… "She's just interesting, that's all. And maybe we can do the job better than Robin if he hasn't caught her yet."

"I suppose," Carmelita answered. "But shouldn't we ask Robin first if we can help him with his case? I mean… seems kind of rude to butt in like that."

"He's an easy going guy," Sly said, scribbling off the last word on the paper with a flourish. "I'm sure he won't mind."

Carmelita didn't answer. She just put her glasses back on, and turned back to the computer, scrolling through information that she had brought up onto the screen earlier. Sly noticed she seemed to be a little bit unhappy. So, getting up from the chair across from her desk, he went around, and turned her computer chair to face him. She gave him a confused look as he took her hands and pulled her to her feet.

"Let's go out tonight." He said simply. "You seem unhappy. Dinner, a little dancing – I can fix that."

He knew he had repeated the words he had said to her years before he ever even _considered _becoming a cop, though he hadn't expected for her to remember them. When she looked at him in surprise, however, he knew that she did.

"You said that…" Her voice trailed off, and Sly raised a brow. He had to pretend he didn't know, right? After a minute, she smiled at him, and said softly, "Sure. Dinner sounds great."

"And dancing," Sly added with a charming smile. She laughed softly.

"And dancing," She repeated in agreement, and then she wormed her way out of his embrace to get back to work again.

* * *

The female raccoon thief, known as Ringo, walked up to the door of the hideout Bentley, Penelope, and Murray shared. She knocked on the door, and waited for someone to answer. It was Murray. She smiled at him when she saw him.

"Hi, Murray," Ringo said kindly. "Is Bentley in?"

"Yeah, he's waiting for you in the lab," Murray said, letting her inside. "I'll show you."

Bentley's lap was… huge. He had every gizmo possible in there, and because Penelope was so good with electronics, too, she had all of her own gadgets in this huge lab. Bentley was watching a screen mounted up high on the wall at a downward angle. On the screen, it showed a beautiful looking gem that appeared to be a huge diamond, although the color was off; it was a beautiful sky blue instead of clear.

"So, that's the diamond?" Ringo asked. Bentley turned to look at her, and nodded. He had heard her and Murray come in. Ringo watched the screen closely. There were tons and tons of security features guarding this priceless item from the classical security guards, to sensors, to lasers, to alarms. She smiled. "You want me to steal it?"

"No," Bentley said. "I want you to talk to your Interpol friend."

"What?" Ringo asked, looking at Bentley like he was crazy.

"I want you to talk to your friend at Interpol," Bentley repeated. "Ask him, as a favor from you, to talk to Sly, and get him to agree to meet us at a certain time."

Ringo raised a brow, and surveyed Bentley for a few minutes before saying softly, "Okay… sounds easy enough." Then she looked at the screen again. It was still showing the diamond. "Why are you watching it, then, if you don't plan to steal it?"

"The diamond?" Bentley asked. Ringo nodded.

"The diamond was made by a team of scientists, trying to see if they could change the colors of diamonds to make them more valuable," Penelope said, working on her RC car. "Unfortunately, when they made the diamond, Plutonium gas was formed in the centre of it. If the diamond breaks, it sets of a huge and powerful explosion, big enough to wipe out all of Asia."

"But it's in the museum," Ringo pointed out. "If it's so dangerous, why isn't it at Area 51, or something?"

"That we don't know," Bentley said. "All we do know is that it needs to be put in a confined area."

"The security around the diamond looks pretty tight," Ringo said, crossing her arms over her chest and putting all her weight on one leg. "I don't think anyone would be able to steal it."

"Not even a thief like you?" Penelope said darkly. "There _is_ a thief who wants and is able to steal it. Security can be shut down easily if you have the right skills. We've done it tons of times. Bentley's set up his own micro-cameras around the diamond, so we can keep a watch on it and make sure it isn't stolen before we actually get a hold of it."

"I see…" Ringo said thoughtfully. Then she cleared her throat. "Alrighty, back on the previous topic; you want me to ask my Interpol friend to talk to Sly, and get him to agree to meet you. A time and place?"

"I'll write it down for you." Bentley said.

* * *

Robin H. Mace was sitting in his office, drinking a cup of coffee, and going through boring files again. With a sigh, he dropped them onto his desk. All these murder cases he had to look at, and he hadn't even been assigned to them…

"The Chief runs this place horridly…" The fox muttered rubbing his eyes. It was getting later in the afternoon, and Robin's stomach growled loudly. He hadn't eaten anything all day.

'_Lunch sounds nice…_' He thought, and pulled himself up out of his chair, downing the mug of coffee, and then heading for the door. He was still wearing his jacket. Just then his office phone rang, and Robin turned to look at it. People normally called his cell phone… not his office phone. Only a few people knew his office phone. It was either the chief, or someone else… Robin went over to it, and picked it up, holding it to his ear.

"Detective Robin H. Mace." He said in a business like way.

"Afternoon, Detective Mace," A woman's voice on the only line said. She sounded chipper and happy. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine…" Robin said slowly. "Who is this?"

"Aww, Robin, have you forgotten me already?" The woman said, sounding hurt. Robin suddenly laughed upon recognizing the voice.

"Merah!" He said. "What the heck are you doing, calling me at work?"

"I have a favor I want to ask of you," Merah said on the other line. "But I'll ask you that later. What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing," Robin answered, sitting down in his computer chair, grinning into the phone. "Why?"

"No… rounds about the city, or anything?" Merah asked.

"No, unless the chief asks me at last minute, but he normally gets the Inspectors to do that." Robin said.

"Good," Merah said. "Because… I think we should spend some time together. We haven't for a long time, and I miss you."

"I miss you, too." Robin replied quietly. "What did you have planned for this evening?"

"Dinner?" Merah suggested. "Your treat. Maybe a movie or we _could _go partying."

"We'll discuss it at dinner," Robin said, smiling into the phone. "I'll pick you up. Where are you right now?"

"Right at this very moment?" Merah asked, sounding playful.

"Right at this _very _moment," The fox said, giving a chuckle.

"Watching you through your balcony window." She said, and Robin looked, and saw her standing there, a cell phone held up to her ear. A grin spread across her beautiful face, and Robin jumped up from his chair, hanging up the phone, and going over to the window to let her into his office.

* * *

Ever since their discussion with Robin, Sly and Carmelita hadn't really gotten any work done except for trying to find out at least _something _else about this Ringo girl. They hadn't found anything, though. Carmelita was getting frustrated, so seeing as it was quitting time for most of the other officers, Sly suggested they go.

Exiting the office, Sly locked the door behind him, and followed Carmelita down the hallway, passed J.R.'s office (they could hear him talking on the phone loudly to that Westwood guy again), passed Robin's office, and moved into an elevator. They rode down the elevator in silence, Sly thinking about their plans for this evening. He was looking forward to it. It would be the first time he and Carmelita had ever been on a casual outing.

Leaving the building, they walked to Carmelita's car. While she drove, Sly was trying to decide if he should get her flowers, or something.

"Where are we going to go tonight?" Carmelita asked, breaking the silence. Sly looked at her, and smiled.

"I'll surprise you," He said.

"So I'm assuming that means your driving?" She asked, a smile forming on her lips. Sly chuckled softly.

"I guess it does," He said. She made the car turn a corner, and pulled into the driveway of Sly's apartment. He undid his seatbelt, and, opened the car door.

"Thanks for the ride," He said. "I'll come pick you up at around… seven, or seven thirty."

"Alright," Carmelita said, and she gave him a fond smile. "Call me before you leave, okay?"

"No problem," Sly said, and after giving her a wink, he closed the door, and let Carmelita drive off before bounding happily into the apartment building.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, chapter's are going to be short, just because I feel as if I'm giving away too much of the story so far… and the dialogue between characters is getting difficult.

I hope you all liked this chapter. I've introduced another branch of the major plot, so… muahaha! I'm leaving you all hanging.

**_R&R!_**


	3. New Criminal, New Case Pt 3

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill. NO, I DON'T OWN SLY COOPER! Thanks for listening.

* * *

**__**

**PARIS, FRANCE: 7:25 PM**

* * *

Running around trying to get ready for his outing with Carmelita, Sly hastily pulled on a think, dark-blue sweater over his white t-shirt. This messed up his hair, so he had to dash back to the bathroom to fix it again. He was still undecided as to where he should take Carmelita, so he figured, if they passed a restaurant that she liked, they'd stop there.

After he was sure his hair was fine, he bounded back into his bedroom, and pulled on a pair of casual jeans, and some white socks. Then, after checking himself in the mirror, making sure he looked presentable, he went to grab his keys, his coat, and his wallet. Even though this wasn't a formal gathering, Sly still wanted to look good for Carmelita. Slipping his wallet into his black pocket, Sly pulled on his black leather jacket, and pulled on his black shoes, almost falling over in the process. Then, once his shoes were on, he checked his watch, and shouted, "Damn!" really loudly before pulling open his apartment door, throwing himself out into the hallway, and hastily locking the door behind him before he took off down the hallway.

He was late picking up Carmelita!

* * *

Carmelita surveyed herself doubtfully in her mirror. She had chosen a light knee-length black skirt (very much like Modesta's) she thought she would _never _wear, and a black sleeveless top. Was it too dressy? Or did she look presentable? She couldn't decide, so she thought she'd stick with it.

She had kept her hair in its regular braid, so she didn't have to do anything with it. She touched up on her make-up a little bit, and then, after pulling on a light black sweater, she went to get her shoes on and wait for Sly.

It was seven thirty-two in the evening. Sly had called her a few minutes ago on his work cell phone, saying he needed to pick something up before he came to get her. She was fine with this. She put on a pair of small-heeled sandals, and no sooner than she sat down on her couch to wait for Sly to show up, there was a knock at the door. She scrambled to get up, and opened it. Sly was standing there, looking very handsome. He smiled when he saw her.

"Hi," He said.

"Hi," Carmelita replied.

"You look… beautiful." He said, looking her up and down, and flashing another charming grin.

"Thank you," She said. He pulled a small bouquet of roses out from behind his back then, and handed them to her.

"Sorry I'm late," He said. "I had to pick these up."

"Oh…" Carmelita took the flowers. "Sly, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to," Sly said with a smile. Carmelita invited him into her apartment for a minute so she could put the roses in water. Sly looked around as he waited for her. Her apartment was small, but nice. It was very clean, and grey. No, really; the walls were a plain off-white color with a few pictures of Carmelita's family members, and the carpet in her living room, which he could see from the doorway of her apartment in the kitchen, was a light grey. It was simple, but elegant, and ideal for a young woman living on her own.

"Nice apartment," He said. Carmelita set the roses in a vase near her kitchen sink and smiled at him.

"Thank you," She said. Then, with a moment of awkward silence, "So… shall we go?"

"Certainly," Sly said, and he followed her out into the hall, letting her lock the door. Then, offering his arm to her, they made their way out of the building.

Sly lead her over to a black motorcycle parked outside. Sly didn't own a car; Carmelita usually drove him around, so he didn't think it was necessary to have a car. The motorcycle was simply for personal outings. Carmelita was looking at the bike, impressed. It was sleek and shiny, and looked brand new.

"I didn't know you had a motorcycle," She said. Sly handed her a helmet, smiling.

"I don't usually use it," He confessed. "I always get a drive with you to work, so I don't need to. But tonight can be an acceptation."

Carmelita smiled, and took the helmet. Sly put on his own helmet, and climbed onto the bike, waiting for Carmelita to do the same. She got on behind him, and put the helmet over her head.

"Hold on tight," He said. She wasn't exactly sure where to hold on to, so when he drove the bike into the street to join the traffic, she put her arms around his waist tightly. She heard Sly laugh, but they just kept driving.

Sly slowed the bike to a stop just outside of a quaint little French restaurant, and he felt Carmelita's arms pull away from around his waist, so she could take her helmet off. Sly did, too, and climbed off the bike, holding a hand out to her. She took it, and he helped her off the bike.

"So," Sly said casually, pulling her close to him. Carmelita wasn't surprised by his actions; she had expected him to do _something_. "Miss Fox. I have a question for you. What is the ending you expect to this evening? Tell me, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it ends that way."

"Well, I know I definitely want to be in my own bed when I wake up," Carmelita said. Sly gave her a shocked look.

"I wouldn't dream of anything of the sort," He replied, and started to lead her inside the restaurant. Carmelita laughed.

"I trust you, Sly," She said.

An hour later, after a wonderful dinner, Sly paid the bill, and he and Carmelita went out into the cool night air again. Sly had his arm around her waist, and they were laughing at what the other had to say. He was glad Carmelita was enjoying herself so much. She was a different person outside of work. At work, she was all about hardcore focus, trying to get it done, and get it done properly. Out here, she was laid back and relaxed, a side he was glad he was finally able to see. He hadn't seen her laugh, or smile very much, for that matter, when he was a thief, or even working as her partner. Once next to the bike, Sly handed Carmelita her helmet again, and she took it, climbing onto the bike behind him again. Revving the engine, Sly drove back out into the traffic, headed for a place where they could go dancing.

They found a place quite soon. It was a chic little club, packed with people. Most of them were young adults in their early and mid twenties. He even recognized a few people from the office at Interpol. Sly found a spot to park the bike, and after removing their helmets, Sly and Carmelita made their way to into the club. Inside, there was a warm, orangey-yellow glow from the lamp-lights hanging from the ceiling. The music playing when they walked in was fast, and Sly hoped a slower tune would play; he wanted a chance to slow dance with Carmelita.

There was a bar over on the far side of the club from the entrance. People sat around it, most of them males, watching some of the single women out on the dance floor. Sly recognized one of them at J.R. and a male Arctic fox was sitting next to him, drinking out of a beer bottle. They were talking, J.R. taking a great interest in one girl in particular. The Arctic fox looked like he could care less. Sly sniffed, and Carmelita looked up at him questioningly.

"What's the matter?" She asked, putting a hand on his arm.

"J.R.'s here," Sly said stiffly. Than he exhaled deeply, and looked down at Carmelita. Now that he thought about, he _was _a little worried he would loose Carmelita to J.R. He hoped she wasn't, or became, interested in him, though. She smiled at him, as if telling him he didn't have to worry.

"I'm already with a date," She said simply. Sly smiled. She was so amazingly incredible.

"West, I'm not going to let you throw your life away –" The irritated voice of J.R. said nearby. He was walking past them, following the Arctic fox Sly suspected to be the Westwood J.R. had been muttering about earlier that morning.

"J.R., I'm not throwing my life away. She's a good cop." West said, stopping behind Sly and Carmelita so he could talk to J.R. He had an American accent. Sly pulled Carmelita out onto the dance floor quickly, making it look like they were doing something. Carmelita was interested too, and was listening as Sly pulled her close to him, keeping an arm around her waist.

"She's a criminal!" J.R. snapped. Then he sighed, and Sly saw out of the corner of his eye J.R. put a hand on Westwood's shoulder. "West… look, I know you care about her, but once a –"

"Drop it," Westwood cut him off. "She's changed her ways. She's a good person, now, and one hell of an officer. We're going to come back in two weeks to get the Diamond from the museum, and hand it over to a secure facility, okay?"

"I don't trust Taylor." J.R. said. "She's… why do you even _like_ her, anyway, she's serious, and she gets angry easily…"

"She's distressed right now." The Arctic fox replied, turning for the door again. "Once this whole issue with the Diamond is over and done with, she'll be happy. We'll _both_ be happy once that damn jewel is safe and locked up tight."

J.R. sighed, rubbed his forehead, obviously struggling with conflicting thoughts. "Fine. Okay. We'll talk about this after you get back to New York."

"Yeah." Westwood said, turning for the door again. "Thanks for looking out for me. J.R., but really, I don't need it. Taylor and I work well together, and she's an amazing police officer."

"Yeah, with an amazingly huge temper." J.R. said, walking with him. Their voices faded out of earshot, and Sly looked down at Carmelita. She looked just as confused as he felt.

"I guess it's not our business." He said.

"I'm just curious about the 'Diamond' he was talking about," Carmelita said. "What diamond?"

Sly shrugged. "We should just enjoy the evening. Forget all that just happened."

Half an hour later, Sly and Carmelita made their way over to the bar to get a drink. It wasn't until then did Sly realize Robin was there. He was dancing with a raccoon girl with long dark hair pulled back into a high pony-tail. He was laughing at something she just whispered into his ear, and then Sly saw her walk away from him. He tried to see what her face looked like, but he could only see her from the side. Robin ran up to catch up with her, and she just gave him a flirty smile and a tilt of the head, saying something. Robin just smiled at her, replying to whatever it was she just said, and pointed over to the bar, and she nodded, and they both went their separate ways. Sly took a sip of the beer he had ordered as Robin walked his way.

"What's Robin doing here?" Carmelita asked curiously, obviously just noticing him. Sly shrugged.

"I'll ask him."

"Two beers," Robin said to the bartender, slapping money down on the counter, and he pulled himself up to sit on one of the bar stools. Then he realized he was sitting next to Sly, and Robin gave him a clap on the shoulder.

"Cooper!" He said happily. "I didn't know you were here."

"Just unwinding from a hard day's work with Carmelita," Sly said with a smile, gesturing to the vixen sitting next to him. Robin gave Carmelita a handsome smile.

"Inspector Fox," He said with a nod of his head. "You look lovely this evening."

"Thank you, Detective," Carmelita said with a smile, taking a sip of her drink.

"What are you doing here?" Sly asked.

"I'm here with a friend," Robin said, thanking the bartender for the two beers he just set in front of him. "She's just gone to the washroom, she should be back shortly."

"She looks cute," Sly said. "A raccoon, huh?"

"You shouldn't be looking at other women, Sly," Robin said jokingly. Sly laughed.

"I have no need," He said. "I have my date for the evening, I'm just commenting on your date's features."

"Yeah, she is cute," Robin agreed, looking back out at the dance floor.

"What's her name?" Sly asked.

"Merah," Robin replied.

"Pretty name," The raccoon said. Then he pointed with his empty hand towards the restrooms, "Is that her there?"

Robin looked, and smiled. "That'd be her. Excuse me, Sly, Carmelita. It was nice to talk with you."

"See you at work," Sly called as Robin left with the two beer bottles in his hands. He gave a little salute with one of the beer bottles, and Sly chuckled softly as he took another swig of his own beer. Then he looked over at Robin's girlfriend, and nearly choked. Forcing himself to swallow, Sly coughed, and Carmelita put a hand on his shoulder worriedly.

"Sly!" She said, and after Sly cleared his throat and got the bear out of his throat, he said, "I found Ringo."

"What?" Carmelita asked. Sly pointed to Robin, and the girl he was dancing with again. Carmelita looked, and then she looked back at Sly. "That's Ringo?"

Sly nodded, and smiled rather cunningly. "We know her first name, now, too. Merah Ringo."

* * *

_I had found her. The thief that had carried my cane when I first chased her on the rooftops of Paris. The thief who claimed to know Bentley and Murray. She was right there, in the club Carmelita and I were at. But I didn't go arrest her. Why? Well, there were a couple of reasons. _

_First, she knew Bentley and Murray. I had already arrested one member of my old gang, Dimitri, and now that Merah was a part of it, I didn't want to arrest another member. Bentley and Murray would be so angry… and I didn't want them to hate me. _

_Second, I didn't want to ruin the moment between Merah and Robin. Why Robin was hanging around with the thief he was supposed to be tracking down, and in a public place, was a mystery, but they looked so happy together. And it made me thin back on the events Carmelita and I went through together when I was still a thief. Quite a coincidence that there was another raccoon thief out there who had feelings for another fox officer. _

_After I realized who Merah was, Carmelita and I decided it was time to go. So, I drove her home, and walked her up to her apartment. I would have kissed her if I hadn't been so distracted by the fact that we had just figured out the mystery thief's identity. I'd make it up to her in the morning, though. So, after saying goodnight, I rode home to my own apartment, ready to get up early in the morning, and confront Robin at work._

_One mystery still remained, though. Why would Merah dress up like me and have my cane? It just seemed… strange to me. I knew that would be a question for Bentley once I ran into him._

* * *

**End Of:**

_New Criminal, New Case_

* * *

**A/N: **Alrighty! Part one of our story is complete! Mysteries have been tied up in this chapter, and you'll just have to figure them out.

I hope you've enjoyed this! R&R! Tell your friends about this story, too, I want to get as many reviews as possible.


	4. Former Friends, Former Life Pt 1

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, no. I don't own Sly Cooper.

Though, I wish I did...

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE: 6:30 AM**

* * *

The next morning, Sly paced anxiously around his kitchen, waiting for Carmelita. He heard a horn beep outside the building, and he looked out his kitchen window and saw her car parked outside. Grabbing his badge and his keys, Sly pulled open his apartment door, locked it behind him, and then sprinted down the hallway to the elevator. Once he was outside the building, he pulled open the passenger side door of the car, and scrambled in.

"You're fairly awake this morning," Carmelita observed as Sly pulled on his seat belt. "What happened to the bed-head guy I knew before last night?"

"I'm just… excited, that's all," Sly said, giving the vixen a smile. "We found Ringo! Now all we have to do is ask Robin why he was with her last night."

"Why didn't we just arrest her?" Carmelita asked as she pulled the car into the traffic.

"I didn't want to make a scene," Sly explained.

"Oh, okay." Carmelita replied, giving a little laugh. They drove on towards the Interpol Headquarters.

* * *

Penelope was sitting on the couch in the hideout, mulling over Bentley's plan. Why did he keep calling Ringo back? She was…. So annoying! She was rude, arrogant, coincided… Penelope didn't see why Bentley thought she proved to be such a help to the gang. So, sure, she was a very skilled thief, especially now since Bentley let her read the Thievius Raccoonus. But Penelope still didn't like her.

"The Diamond is still there," Bentley said, sounding cheerful. "My cameras show me that all the security around it is still active. And Sly should be meeting us tomorrow afternoon."

"Providing Merah Ringo actually gave him the message," Penelope muttered. Bentley frowned and wheeled his way over to her.

"What's the matter, Penelope?" Bentley asked, sounding like he was really concerned. Penelope glanced at him over her glasses, and she took them off, cleaning them with the sleeve of her yellow shirt before putting them back on.

"I don't know, I just don't think Ringo is… going to go through with this." Penelope said. "I mean, how do we know _she _isn't the thief who wants to steal the Diamond?"

"If she was, she would have tried to already, and I would have seen her on my cameras," Bentley said reassuringly, taking Penelope's hand and smiling at her. She just sighed, and Bentley tried to cheer her up. "Don't worry, Penelope. Merah will get this done. Sly will meet us tomorrow afternoon, and he'll be back in the gang."

Penelope gave him a smile, and then leaned in to kiss the turtle on the cheek. "Alright. I trust ya."

* * *

No sooner than Sly and Carmelita stepped off the elevator had Modesta come running up to them, looking a little frantic.

"_Hombre…_" She breathed in Spanish, taking a deep breath.

"What's the matter, Modesta?" Carmelita asked.

"Robin asked me to give you this note, Sly," Modesta said to the raccoon, handing him a slip of paper. "Ringo gave it to him, and she asked him to give it to you."

"Why would Ringo want to give me a note?" Sly asked.

"I don't know," The cat replied, her tail swishing back and forth anxiously. "But the Chief found out about Robin hanging around with her last night, and he's furious. He's talking to Robin now, and I've already been yelled at."

"Why did he yell at you?" Carmelita asked. Modesta pressed her ears back.

"He yelled at me because I was one of the officers trying to get Ringo's file." She said. "He knows you two were trying to get it, too. He's mad at us because we were trying to get the file for a case that wasn't ours. _And _he knows you were out clubbing last night at the same place Robin was with Ringo."

"How did he –" Sly started, but Modesta cut him off.

"Robin told him he saw you there together," She said.

"Is he going to get fired for hanging around with a criminal?" Sly asked in a hushed voice. He didn't want Robin to get fired. Modesta just continued to swish her tail.

"He told the Chief he was trying to catch her off guard to arrest her, but she figured him out and got away before he could," She said. "Why didn't _you_ arrest her when you saw her?"

"I didn't want to make a scene," Sly said, repeating what he had told Carmelita earlier. "And it's Robin's case."

"Well, the Chief is angry at you for two reasons," Modesta said warningly. "One, for butting into a case that didn't belong to us, and two, for not taking a race of action when the opportunity to arrest said case arose."

Sly sighed. "I'll deal with him. Thanks for the note."

"Good luck with the chief," Modesta said, and she slunk away to her office. Carmelita sighed, and shook her head.

"The Chief shouldn't be getting angry at us," She said.

"I agree," Sly replied, looking at the slip of paper in his hand.

"But I guess he has his reasons. Modesta's right, butting into a case that didn't belong to us was pretty unacceptable, especially since we didn't ask Robin's permission first." Carmelita said.

"But it's not like he refused to tell us anything when we asked, right?" Sly said, looking at the vixen.

"True," Carmelita said. "We'll just have to tell the Chief everything. Sly nodded, and then looked down at the slip of paper in his hand again. He unfolded it, and saw it was written in a neat script. It read:

_Sly,_

_Bentley and the others want to meet you tomorrow night at a café called 'La Café Petite'. Come alone. This is very important, so don't let them down. They really need your help. _

_I'll come and beat you myself if you don't show up for them. _

_Truly,_

_M. Ringo_

* * *

_Receiving the note from Merah was really strange. Especially since it said '**This is very important, so don't let them down**'. Why would Merah care so much about what Bentley and the gang wanted? It didn't make sense. But this was the perfect opportunity for me to see the guys again. I've really missed them for a while. I'd just have to find a way to go without Carmelita, or any other cops, finding me out. I'm supposed to have amnesia, remember?_

_I really wish I knew what was going on with all of this…_

* * *

**Sly Cooper In:**

_Former Friends, Former Life_

* * *

Sly reread the note a few times. So… Bentley wanted to meet him at _La Café Petite _tomorrow? Sly smiled to himself. Good. He could ask the turtle questions about Merah.

"Bentley…?" Carmelita's voice muttered in his ear, and Sly jumped in surprise, crumpling the note into a ball, stuffing it into his pocket, and turning around to face her, all in one fast movement. She looked at him in puzzlement for a minute, and then she realized how quickly he had hid the note. He didn't have amnesia! Her eyes grew as wide as teacup saucers, and then they narrowed in anger.

"_SLY!_" She yelled, putting her hands on her hips.

"_COOPER!_" The Chief's voice roared from his office, right after Carmelita had yelled his name.

"You lied to me!" Carmelita yelled again, getting right in a very nervous Sly's face.

"You're in big trouble, raccoon!" The Chief roared again. It was weird. It almost seemed like the Chief was saying the words Carmelita was thinking. By the icy glare she was giving him, he was in big trouble with her, too.

"We'll talk about this later," Sly said to her quietly, trying to his voice down so no one would hear, but everyone in the office was already watching him from Carmelita's and the Chief's yells.

"No kidding!" Carmelita snapped, crossing her arms over her chest. Sly winced. He hated seeing her angry like this, especially at him. Giving her an apologetic look, Sly made his way to the Chief's office.

"Step inside, Cooper," The Chief said gruffly, holding the door open for Sly. He stepped into the office reluctantly, and the Chief slammed it closed behind him.

Chief Jacey Callum Ralston was a portly dog. His fur was a light brown with graying fur around the muzzle, giving him a moustache. His ears were pointed, and stuck up, like his nephew J.R.'s, and he held a cigar between his teeth. Sly could see flakes of ashes littered around the Chief's desk and ashtray. One thing everyone should know about the Chief is that he never heard anything unless it was what he wanted to hear. Meaning, for example, if Sly were to say at that very moment, "I hate your nephew's guts!" the Chief would reply with, "Yes, Cooper, you are in trouble."

"Constable Cooper, I understand that recently, as of two nights ago, you've been trying to find out information about a thief, is that correct?" Chief Jacey asked.

"Yes, sir, it is correct," Sly answered, standing up strait.

"And you continued to try and find out information about said thief, even after you knew another officer already had their case, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then tell me why, Cooper," Chief Jacey said, taking a huge puff on his cigar before stubbing it out in his ashtray. "You didn't drop the matter after you found out Detective Mace was already on the case?"

"It was… merely a personal issue, sir." Sly replied slowly. Chief Jacey raised a bushy eyebrow.

"Interpol Officers don't chase thieves or criminals for 'Personal Issues', Constable Cooper." He said curtly. Then he sighed, and lit his cigar again, obviously not remembering he had just put it out. "Tell me exactly what happened after you got the call to track this thief."

"Well," Sly started, taking a deep breath. "Inspector Fox and I were just leaving the Louvre museum when Constable Tavita called us, reporting a thief. We were closer to the area of the thief at the time. I went after the criminal on foot, and chased her, noticing that…"

"Noticing what?" The Chief snapped.

"Noticing that she was carrying a cane." Sly said, figuring it was better not to lie. Well… he wouldn't tell the _whole _truth, either. "The cane looked familiar to me, sir, so I wished to figure out more about the thief to find who she was. She asked me if I was a new officer on her case, and then she remarked that she would miss 'Macey'. I didn't know who Macey was, so I asked for Inspector Fox and Constable Tavita to help me figure it out. We found Macey was Detective Mace, so we went to ask him about the thief. He told us her name, and a few of her personality traits, but that was all."

"Did you stop looking for information after that?" Chief Jacey asked.

"Not… exactly, sir." Sly replied. "Inspector Fox helped me with her computer to see if we could find out a little bit more, now that we knew her name. Then we made plans for dinner, and I took her dancing –"

"Need I remind you, Cooper, that Interpol Officers do not support 'Personal Issues'?"

"It… wasn't for work, sir," Sly said. "Inspector Fox and I just wanted… an outing together, that's all."

"Then why was Robin Mace at the same club you and Inspector Fox were?"

"It wasn't just Detective Mace, Chief." The raccoon said, feeling a little bit of happiness swell up inside of him. If the Chief didn't support 'Personal Issues', then he wouldn't support his nephew being at the club, either. "Inspector Ralston was there, too, with another officer from America. Westwood, I think his name was."

The Chief didn't say anything about this matter, so Sly scratched his head, and kept going.

"Anyway, Inspector Ralston and Westwood were there, and it wasn't until later we saw Detective Mace with his date for the evening."

"Describe her," Chief Jacey ordered.

"Uh… about…" He held his hand up to his chin, like he did two days ago when describing Merah Ringo to Carmelita and Modesta. "This tall. Slender, a little on the skinny side. Beautiful, charming. She was a raccoon…"

"His date was the thief Merah Ringo, was it not?" Chief Jacey asked. Sly nodded.

"Yes, sir," He said.

"Did you talk to Robin at all yesterday evening while on your 'outing'?"

Sly hesitated. He didn't want to get Robin into trouble… He was a good guy. Sly thought back on Robin's lie, wanting to catch Ringo off guard to arrest her. Sly shook his head in response to the Chief's question.

"No, Chief," He said. "I didn't speak to Detective Mace at all last night. We waved to each other, that was all."

The Chief sighed. "Very well. Thank you, Cooper. You're cut from whatever part you had in Merah Ringo's case, however. Stick to your own cases, hm?"

"Of course, sir," Sly said, and he turned to leave the office. Chief Jacey didn't stop him, so Sly opened the door, and let himself out. Carmelita was pacing in front of the door, waiting for him. When she saw him, she snorted, grabbed him by the wrist, and dragged him down the hallway to her own office.

She shoved him inside with great force she had always used when they were on opposite sides of the law, and slammed the door closed behind her. Sly's tail twitched about anxiously.

"You… have got… a lot of explaining to do." Carmelita said with forced calm, but Sly could still pick out the anger in every word she spoke. "I… I don't get it, Sly. Why?"

"Carmelita –" Sly started softly, trying to put a hand on her shoulder to calm her, but she whacked it away.

"You lied to me, Cooper!" She snapped, blowing up, and Sly winced. The way she had said his name with such detest was… painful. "You lied; you told me you couldn't remember anything!"

"I was going to tell you sometime," Sly said softly.

"When?" Carmelita yelled, sounding almost frantic. "When were you going to tell me? When I was on my deathbed? How can I trust you, now?"

"Hey, you trusted me last night," Sly pointed out, letting a little anger creep into his voice.

"Last night, I didn't know you were still a thief!" Carmelita countered. "Once a thief, always a thief!"

"Then explain to me, Carmelita, why I've been by your side for all these months?" Sly asked quietly. "Explain to me why nothing has been stolen, except for petty thefts by teenaged kids? Explain to me why I haven't committed one single act of theft this whole time since Dr. M's island? Tell me why, Carmelita."

She didn't say anything. So, Sly continued.

"I gave it up." He said. "I gave it up because of you."

"Why?" She asked finally.

"Before I 'lost my memories', Dr. M was crushing me to death with one his genetics experiments gone wrong. I thought I was going to die, then. And all I could think about was you." Sly said, his voice still quiet. Carmelita was just staring at him, her face expressionless. "I was a coward towards you all the years you chased me. I was manipulative, and I used you so many times. The thing I wanted most at that moment, when I thought I was at the end, was to put our professional differences aside, and come out and tell you how I felt. I never got the chance. When Dr. M threatened to hurt you, and I took the blast, I honestly thought that was the end of me. But I woke up, and I saw you. I decided then it was time to take the next step. I faked loosing my memories. And you told me a fake story."

Carmelita opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out, so she closed it again. Sly watched her for a minute, and he smiled, laughing softly.

"If you think about it," He said. "You kind of lied to me, too."

"How did I lie to you?" Carmelita demanded.

"You thought I actually _had_ lot my memories," Sly said, grinning at her. "When I asked who I was, you told me I was your partner. So, in a way, you lied to me, too."

"I…" Carmelita said hesitantly. Then she sighed, and muttered, "I didn't want to arrest you. I _never_ wanted to arrest you. I just…"

She made an irritated noise, and went over to the window, gazing out of it. Sly watched her, a small smile playing on his lips. He had known it all along. Carmelita loved him. He had known it ever since the beginning, when he had kissed her all those years ago in Russia after the Clockwerk fiasco. Walking up to stand next to her, he looked out of the window, too. A young couple was strolling down the street, holding hands, and laughing together.

"Remember the ten second head-start you gave me?" He asked softly.

"When you handcuffed me to the railing?" She asked darkly. Sly chuckled.

"I felt bad for leaving you there."

"Bull."

"I did," Sly said seriously. When she didn't look at him, or say anything, Sly sighed, and hung his head for a minute before looking at her again. "I'm sorry I pretend to have amnesia, Carmelita. I wanted to get closer to you, on new terms. I wanted a relationship between us to start, but… I'm just sorry. For everything I've done to mess it all up between us."

Carmelita finally looked at him then. Her eyes were still narrowed in anger, but it wasn't as strong as it had been before.

"Apology accepted." She said, and walked towards her desk.

"So… I'm still your partner, right?" Sly asked hopefully. Carmelita sniffed.

"Yeah," She said flatly. "You are. This has to be kept a secret, though, if anyone finds out you still remember everything, you'll be arrested in two seconds."

"I wouldn't dream of telling anyone," Sly said. "So, now that we have this cleared up, I think I should tell you that I've decided to go meet Bentley tomorrow evening at eight PM."

"If I catch wind of you stealing anything…" Carmelita warned, her eyes narrowing at him again.

"I won't," He said. "I promise. I'm not a thief anymore. I'm a cop."

"Fine." Carmelita said, and sat down in her computer chair. Sly went over to her then, and took her hands like he'd done the day before, pulling her to her feet, and putting his arms around her waist. Carmelita had just let him control her until he slipped his arms around, and she pushed against his chest. "What are you doing?"

Sly leaned in, and kissed her. Carmelita was so shocked; she thought her heart had stopped beating. But after the initial shock wore off, she relaxed in Sly's embrace, and kissed him back. She felt Sly's hand come up, and he gently stroked her curly hair. After a minute, Sly pulled away from her, and he just smiled.

"That was to make up for all the trouble I've caused you," He said, letting her go. He started to go and sit in his usual spot in the wooden chair across from her desk, but she grabbed his arm, making him look at her sharply. To his surprise, Carmelita was smiling. In a rather… oddly, cunning way.

"One kiss won't be enough to make up for _all _the trouble you've caused me over the years, Sly," She said softly. Sly was a little shocked at her reaction, but then found himself smiling.

"So, would another kiss do?" He asked, letting his arms slip around her waist again.

"I'll decide later," She said. Then, chuckling softly, Sly leaned in, and kissed her again.

* * *

**A/N: **Aww… how cute! Sly and Carmelita. I love this couple. They were just made for each other.

Aaaanyway, I hoped you liked this chapter. Next one coming soon!

**R&R!**


	5. Former Friends, Former Life pt 2

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE: 6:30 AM**

* * *

Finally having made it up to Carmelita enough for causing her so much trouble, Sly was sitting in his usual chair, one foot resting on the seat of the chair so he could rest his elbow on his knee; his trademark sitting position. He was staring up at the ceiling boredly while Carmelita typed on her keyboard. What she was doing, Sly had no idea, but she was doing it with intense concentration. The raccoon sighed.

"Okay," He said, sounding a little annoyed. "_Now _I'm bored. Why haven't we gotten any calls for a case, or anything?"

"It's always boring the first few days after a big case," Carmelita said, still typing absently on her computer. Her glasses were perched on her nose, and Sly had to smile when he looked at her. She looked cute with glasses.

"That case wasn't that big, though," He countered. All they had done was throw Dimitri in jail. Sly's ears lowered. Man, he felt bad for that…

"You're just used to having the freedom to vent off energy whenever you have it," Carmelita answered. She looked at him through her glasses. "If you're so restless, going down to the workout room; they'll have some stuff for you to do there."

"Not really a place for a Constable to be," Sly said, hopping out of his chair. "But, okay."

Before she could react, Sly quickly brushed a light kiss on her lips before pulling away, and walking towards the door. He heard Carmelita laugh softly behind him as he put his hand on the door handle, turned it, and let the door swing open.

"Get me a coffee, too," Carmelita said. "After that, you'll have repaid me enough."

"Anything for you, Gorgeous," Sly said, immediately perking up again, giving her one of his trademark smiles, and he stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind him.

It was true; Interpol actually had a workout room that more physical cops would go to for training, and building their stamina. They also had some recreational activities, too, just for the restless cop that didn't want to be stuck in the office all day while their partner typed on the computer, much like Sly. Because of all his pent-up energy from the feisty make-out session he had had with Carmelita, the raccoon decided to take the stairs down to the basement, where the workout room was located.

Walking into the large room, Sly looked around. He had never been in there before, and he was rather surprised at all the things you could do. Basketball, target practice with guns, and there was a separate weight-room on the far side of the room… Then Sly saw Robin. The fox was doing archery, and as Sly walked towards him, he was shocked to see that when Robin let the arrow go, it hit dead-centre in the middle of the target.

"Impressive," Sly said, and Robin turned to look at him. Sly grinned. "I didn't know you were a Robin _Hood_."

Robin laughed. "I am, actually," He said, taking up another arrow from the arrow-holder sitting next to him on the ground. "What did you think the _H _in my name stood for? Harold?"

"Robin Hood Mace," Sly said. The raccoon laughed a bit. "Well, isn't that just ironic?"

"What are you doing down here, anyway?" Robin asked, loading the arrow into his bow, and aiming it at the target again. He let the arrow go. It hit right next to the previous one. "I thought the Chief would be chomping on your guts right about now."

"I told him a little white lie," Sly confessed. "I told him we never actually talked at all last night. Didn't want to get both of us in trouble."

"So it went alright, then?"

"Yeah," Sly said. "Chief forgives me. I'm just forbidden to look up any information on Merah Ringo at all because it's your case."

Robin didn't say anything to that. The small smile that had been on his face faltered and he kept his eyes on the floor. He just picked up another arrow, loading it into his bow. Sly saw the sadness in Robin's brown eyes, even though the fox wasn't looking at him. So, deciding to figure out what was wrong (he suspected it was about Merah), he said casually, "So, uh… what, um… what were you doing with Merah at the club last night, anyway?"

"Just partying," Robin said, and he shot the arrow, but the shot wasn't as great as the other two. "Y'know… hanging out."

"Isn't… she… the case you're supposed to be trying to arrest?" Sly asked. Robin sighed.

"I don't have the heart to arrest her," He said quietly, picking yet another arrow. "She's just… she's a free spirit, full of… _joie-de-vivre_ and… happiness, and… fun. Putting her behind bars… it'd just destroy her entire being." He let the arrow fly, and it just barely hit the corner of the target. Sly knew his shots were being affected by conflicting thoughts.

"You really care about her, huh?" Sly asked softly. Robin, who had already taken aim with another arrow, sighed, and loosened his grip on it, lowering the arrow point to the ground. He just stared at the target, not really seeing it.

"I love her more than anything," He said. "But… our opposing jobs make it almost impossible. Last night, when I was with her, I wasn't Detective Mace, trying to arrest the thief, Merah Ringo. I was just… Robin and she was just Merah. We weren't anything at all last night except for each other. I wish it could always be like that."

Robin took aim with the arrow again, and shot it at the target, but it missed completely. Sighing, the fox set down his bow, and crossed his arms, looking at the floor.

"I almost have half a mind to quit my job," He confessed finally. "But I won't. Because I know she wouldn't want me to, and I know I'd regret it later."

Sly sighed. He knew _exactly _how Robin felt. Though, while Robin was strong enough to stick with something he loved, Sly had changed occupations, and though he _was _enjoying himself, he still missed the thrills of the heists. He missed Bentley's slideshows, and Murray's loud victory speeches. He missed seeing Penelope use her gizmos, like the RC car and the RC chopper. He really missed his gang.

"Trust me, Rob," Sly said after a while. "I know how you feel. It was the same way with Carmelita at one time; our opposing jobs made it impossible for us to be together."

Robin looked up at him sharply and curiously then, and Sly's heart sank. He had just realized what he said.

"Aw, man!" Sly groaned. Robin let a huge smile break out across his face, and he laughed, thumping Sly hard on the back.

"You sneaky devil!" Robin said admirably, throwing an arm around Sly's shoulders. "You're a right ol' liar, Cooper. Amnesia… what a cheep trick."

"You make it sound like I killed someone," Sly said, grinning, happy to see Robin thought this was funny. The fox just shook his head, and clapped Sly's shoulder, laughing again.

"I can't believe you, raccoon," He said. "What made you decide to become a cop, then?"

"Carmelita," Sly answered truthfully. "I wanted for us to start a relationship, but I knew she wouldn't agree to it if I was still a thief. It's nice to be around Carmelita all the time instead of running away from her, but I miss it."

"I'd ask Merah to become a cop," Robin said. "But I don't think she'd be too happy with me. She's been a… rebel for most of her life, so for me to ask her to change would annoy her to no end."

"Hey, Rob," Sly said suddenly, looking around a little nervously. "Could you, uh… keep the fact that I still have my memories a secret?"

"Mum's the word, ol' boy." Robin said. "The secret's safe with me."

* * *

Sly liked Robin; he was an easy guy to like, laid back, easy-going, and the fact that he thought Sly's lie about having amnesia was funny made Sly like him even more. He was proving to be a good friend. He was also very grateful Robin agreed to keep it a secret, and that the Detective didn't arrest him when he found out.

The talk with Robin helped Sly vent off some of his energy. After that, they had spent about an hour shooting arrows at the target. Robin's aim had gotten better again, so he was hitting a perfect bulls-eye with every shot. Sly, who had never done archery before, was close to matching Robin's shot, but the fox was still much better.

Grabbing a cup of coffee for her like he had promised after he went back upstairs, Sly made his way to Carmelita's office. She wasn't in there when he went inside, so he just set the warm mug on her desk, and looked around. Everything seemed to be in place… Maybe she just went to the washroom. Yeah, that was it… Then something on the computer screen caught Sly's attention, and he sat down in Carmelita's chair. It was a video file, taken from one of the security cameras in St. Reis' Prison. Sly took the mouse in his hand, and moved it over to the 'Play' button, clicking it.

The hallway was dark for a bit, and then Sly's saw a figure creeping through the shadows. They glanced around a bit before running to a cell, pulling out a ring of keys from their pocket, and unlocking the cell door. Sly narrowed his eyes when he saw the prisoner that was being let free; Dimitri. Then Sly smiled.

"You devil, Bentley," He muttered. "Getting Merah to help you again."

* * *

The next evening, Sly dressed in a black sweater, dark blue-jeans, and his black shoes. He wore a hat, and had the rim pulled low over his eyes, so no one would recognize him. He was going to see Bentley and Murray, and if anyone cops were roaming about on patrol, he didn't want to be spotted with his former gang members.

Locking his apartment door behind him, he took the elevator to the bottom floor, and went to the parking-lot where he kept his motorbike. He slipped his helmet over his head, and turned the key in the ignition. Then, with a feeling of excitement like he used to feel when he was a thief, Sly roared down the street, joining up with the traffic, headed for his meeting with the gang.

About twenty minutes from his apartment was _La Café Petite_. It was a quaint little place, an open-air café, and there were couples seated at the small, round tables spread out over the place. In the parking lot, Sly found a free spot, and slowed his bike to a stop. He pulled the keys from the ignition, and removed his helmet, fixing his hat so it was low over his eyes again. He was headed for the restaurant when something hit the side of his foot, and he looked down curiously, a smile forming on his lips when he saw what it was. A familiar blue, little RC car with a flower attached to it was sitting at his feet. It nudged his ankle once more before backing up away from him, and turning to go in the direction he assumed it must have come from. Sly followed it, silently giving his friends praise; their idea to meet _near _a public place instead of _in _one was excellent.

It leaded him to a wide alley way, right next to the café. It was wide enough to be a street, but the dead-end that he knew must be at the end prevented it from ever becoming one. The little blue RC car drove its way quickly down the alley, being swallowed by darkness as it went. Sly followed after it, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. He stopped for a minute to let his eyes adjust to the dark, and then he pressed on.

His heart leapt when he saw the looming silhouette of the van before him. Most people, if they decided to venture into the unknown dark, would probably think some drug-dealers were trying to jump them and steal their money, but Sly could make out the eyes of the raccoon face painted on the back doors; he knew he was safe.

Before he was even able to get close to the van, though, he was suddenly pulled into a tight, spine-crushing bear-hug that he knew must be from Murray; who else was big and strong enough to crush Sly like that? His feet weren't even touching the floor.

"You're here! You're here!" Murray's voice cried with happiness, and Sly started to laugh. He was as happy to see Murray as Murray was to see him.

"Yeah, I'm here!" Sly said, imitating Murray's tone. "But you're squishing me, pal. Can I breathe?"

"Oh," Murray said, and he set Sly on the ground again. "Sorry, Sly."

"S'ok," Sly said. Then he launched himself and Murray, hugging him back. "_Man_, am I glad to see you!"

"Sly!" A female voice said, and after Sly let Murray go, Penelope ran up, and gave Sly a huge kiss on the cheek. "You followed my RC car alright?"

"Yeah," Sly said, smiling at her. "It was a good idea, too."

"Well…" Penelope said modestly, blushing a bit. "It was all Bentley's idea to try and meet with you."

"But it was Murray's plan to give Sly the note," Bentley's voice said from behind Penelope, and she stepped out of the way so Bentley could see Sly. The turtle just looked at his friend, his face molded into a neutral, expression.

"Sly," He said flatly.

"Bentley," Sly said, sounding just as emotionless. Then, at the same time, they moved in to give each other a hug.

"You sneaky devil," Bentley said, smiling. "I _knew_ you faked the amnesia."

"And I knew that you had figured me out," Sly said, clapping the turtle on the shoulder. "It's good to see you, Bentley; I've missed you guys a _lot_."

"Did any police officers see you coming?" Penelope asked.

"No," Sly said. "That's why I wore the hat, so they couldn't see my face."

"Good," Bentley said. "Come into the van, we have a lot to talk about."

The van still looked the same inside; Bentley's computer mounted up on one wall, Penelope's bag of gizmos next to it, and some spare van parts belonging to Murray were in a box under his seat. Sly smiled when he pulled himself into the van. It still smelled like pizza from the times when they'd eat until they got sick. Sly still remembered getting up five or six times in the middle of the night to throw up.

"Yep," Sly said, crossing his arms over his chest, letting his eyes roam around the interior of the van. "I've missed this piece of junked-up metal. It's helped me get out of a few jams, that's for sure."

"Sit down, Sly," Bentley said, wheeling his chair over to his computer as Murray climbed into the van. Penelope was already sitting on the floor, and Sly copied her by doing the same. Bentley typed a few keys, and then an internet page came up, showing a picture of a beautiful sky-blue jewel. Bentley looked at Sly through his glasses.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked the raccoon sitting on the floor.

"A jewel?" Sly asked.

"It's a diamond," Bentley said. "It was created by scientists and archeologists who wanted to try and alter the color of diamonds to make them more valuable. You know, like the way a pink pearl would be worth more than a regular pearl?"

"I get it," Sly said. "So… what's the point?"

"The scientists managed to make this large stone change color to the lovely sky-blue, as you can see." Bentley said formally. "The only problem is, with the chemicals they used, not only did the diamond change color, but a deadly gas formed itself inside of it. Plutonium, to be exact. It was completely and totally an accident."

"Plutonium?" Sly repeated. "Wouldn't that like… wipe out all of Asia?"

"Asia, Japan, Africa, and Australia, to be exact; half the world would go up in smoke." Bentley said.

"Wow…" Sly breathed.

"Anyway, we recently discovered that if this blue diamond was paired with these five other stones, and taken up to the center of the world, it would mean the end of the world as we know it. The _whole _world, not just half." Bentley regarded Sly seriously for a moment before continuing. "With the light of Polaris, the Northern Star, and the energy inside these five other stones, it would cause the diamond to heat up, and break, causing the Plutonium to be unleashed, and for a massive explosion to take place. Everyone and everything would die."

"Okay, okay," Sly said, holding up a hand. "Why are we talking about death and destruction?"

"We're not," Bentley said. "We're talking about what we should do to _prevent _death and destruction."

"And what _should _we do?" the raccoon asked. Bentley turned back to his computer, and pressed another few keys. Another internet page popped up onto the screen, showing a picture of 5 gems, each one resting on the point of a star.

"These are the five Elements," Bentley explained. "Lucky for us, we only have to recover four. One of them was the Fire Stone of India, but you stole that _years _ago."

Sly chuckled. "You still have that, huh?"

"Along with some of the other stuff you stole," Bentley said with a smile, but then went right back to business again. "So, with the Fire Stone of India out of the way, we just have to get the Water Stone of Australia, The Lightning Stone of Africa, the Wind Stone of China, and the Earth Stone of Europe. Lucky for us, they're all located in the Louvre in different exhibits."

"Wait a sec," Sly said suddenly, realization finally dawning on him. "You want me to steal these?"

"Well, of course," Bentley said. "Who else is going to steal them?"

Sly's ears drooped, and he sighed, looking down at the floor of the van. He wanted to help Bentley… he _really _did. But…

"Bentley, I'm not a thief anymore." Sly said quietly. "I'm a police officer, now. I… I can't help you."

Bentley gawked at him. "Sly, the fate of the entire _world _is at stake, here!"

"There's another thief out there that's been sending us e-mails." Penelope said, jumping in. Sly looked up at her curiously. "They want us to 'stay out of their way' and steal the Blue Diamond for themselves, as well as the five Elements. We suspect this thief doesn't know the entire result of what will happen if all six stones are paired together, but all we know is that we can't let this person get a hold of _any _of the gems. That's why we need you to tell the five Elements for us."

"What about getting Merah to do it?" Sly asked. Penelope's mood immediately darkened at the sound of the female raccoon thief's name, and Sly was rather surprised to see her eyes go icy. Penelope crossed her arms, and she glared at Sly so darkly, that he thought if looks could kill, he'd be dead already.

"I'd rather be dead than let that irritatingly perfect, self-centered, snot of a raccoon join our team," Penelope seethed. Sly shivered.

"You must, uh…" He swallowed her, actually scared of Penelope's sudden, yet passionate, anger. "Really dislike her, then?"

"Well," Bentley said, scratching the back of his head. "There's that, and the fact that Merah would ask for pay if we asked her to help us. And, unfortunately, we've already paid her something like… a thousand dollars just for her to try and lead you to us."

Sly gawked. Then he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, then…"

"Besides, Sly," Murray said, finally speaking up. "We miss having you on the team. It's really boring without you around."

Sly took of his hat and scratched his head, thinking. So… he would have to become a thief again in order to steal all of those priceless jewels. That would make working with Carmelita and the police pretty risky… but then, when he thought about it, he wasn't stealing for his own gain; instead, it was for the safety of the world.

"Alright," Sly said after a long time. "I'll join the team again. But we're _not_ going to be doing _anything_ until after sunset, and I'll need at least a day's worth of rest, as I still have to go to work at Interpol."

"Deal," Bentley said, smiling. "Thanks, Sly."

"And, while I'm here," Sly said suspiciously. "Why did you get Merah to 'impersonate' me, anyway?"

"Oh…" Bentley said. "Well… you see…"

And Bentley told the story of his attempted plans to try and get Sly back on the team; the whole plan with Dimitri, and then Merah as a plan B. Sly was thoroughly enjoying Bentley's tale. He felt right at home in the team van. It felt just like old times. Then Sly asked if Merah had helped spring Dimitri out of jail. With a sheepish, 'Yes…' Bentley turned as red as an apple. Sly had to laugh, and told Bentley he forgave him; Sly didn't want to arrest Dimitri, either.

Eventually, it was time for Sly to head back home because of work in the morning. Bentley promised to contact him at his apartment when they planned to pull a heist for the gems. Sly agreed that it was a good idea, and before he left, Murray handed him a red backpack and his cane. Sly took the cane hesitantly, and then he smiled when he felt the weight of it in his hands. His family cane… the one his father had passed down to him before he died.

"Thanks, Murray," Sly said, smiling up at his big hippo friend.

"Look after yourself, pal," Murray said.

"Don't worry," Sly said, chuckling. Then, after giving Penelope a hug (she was feeling a little less angry now), Sly turned to Bentley. "It's been really good to see you again, Bentley. I'm sorry for ditching you guys like I did. Just… looking at you and Penelope… I wanted to be with Carmelita."

"I know," Bentley said. "And you have every right to be with her."

"I just… can't help but feel bad for leaving the team," Sly said, looking down at the hook of his cane. "You guys have done so much for me in the past, and I just up and left."

"Well, you're repaying us a great deal for you help now," Bentley replied, smiling. "So, thanks."

Sly gave the turtle a small grin. "No, Bentley. Thank _you_."

* * *

_I let myself out of the van then, the red pack Murray had given me holding my old thieving outfit strapped to my back, and my cane clutched tightly in my hand. It felt good to feel the weight of the cane again. **Really **good. I can't believe I ever thought I could just give it up like I had…_

_As I rode home on my bike, my thoughts were back on how I felt when I was with the gang. It had felt just like the old days when we were young and foolish, ready for anything. My thoughts were also on the job Bentley wanted me to do. I was just lucky that all the stones I needed to steal were in Paris, and not spread out across the world, like they normally would have been. _

_As I carried my cane and backpack into my house, I promised myself, and my team mates, that I wouldn't let them down. I'd stick with them to the end._

_The **Very **End._

* * *

**End of:**

_Former Life, Former Friends_

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, show of hands, who saw this coming?

Come _ON_, people, you can't have a Sly Cooper story without having Sly Cooper himself as a thief! It's just… not…. right! Geez, I was _soo _mad after the end of the third game… I still can't believe Sly gave up his life as a thief. I'm gonna shoot somebody at Sucker Punch if that's the complete end of the Sly Cooper Adventures. Mark my words!

Anyway, R&R!


	6. The Thief Returns Pt 1

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE: 7:35 AM**

* * *

Ever since Sly had seen the video of Dimitri being sprung from jail on Carmelita's computer, Carmelita herself had been in a very unhappy mood. For two days strait she'd done nothing but huff and sigh, angry at the fact that Merah Ringo managed to get him free without taking down _any _security. Sly found out from her later that when he returned to the office and she wasn't there, she had driven down to St. Reis' Prison by herself, hoping to find some sort of clue as to how Merah managed to get in there. So far, she'd found nothing, except for a guard who'd confessed he'd fallen asleep. As of yet, the Chief was still coming up with a punishment for him.

Modesta came to Sly and Carmelita later that morning, saying she was worried about J.R. Apparently, he was a nervous wreck; the news she had actually managed to give him (Remember, Modesta couldn't string two short words together whenever he was around) about Westwood coming to Paris a week early set him off the deep end. He didn't even find time to hit on Carmelita anymore. Not like the vixen was complaining at all.

"I hope he goes crazy," Sly said while in Carmelita's office, sounding _really _hopeful. "Then maybe they'll put him in a mental hospital, and we won't have to deal with him anymore."

"_Sly_!" Modesta said, sounding devastated as Carmelita actually started to laugh for the first time since Dimitri's escape. The cream-colored Persian cat flashed Carmelita a dirty look, and said, "That's mean!"

"Like I said before, Modesta," Sly said, lounging back in his chair, and putting his arms behind his head. "You can do _so_ much better than Jamison Ralston."

"Like who?" Modesta demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. Sly shrugged.

"I dunno…" He said. "How about… uh…."

"****Winthorp?" Carmelita suggested, a coy smile playing on her lips. Now it was Sly's turn to laugh hysterically, and Modesta blushed under her fur. Carmelita started to laugh with Sly when he had actually fallen backwards out of his chair.

"That's just gross," She said loudly over their laughter, pouting like a stubborn child. "Besides, I thought he liked you, Carmelita?"

That shut the vixen up right away. Sly stopped laughing abruptly, too. Carmelita looked at Modesta with a horrified face, and she said, "_WHAT_?"

Now it was Modesta's turn to start laughing.

( **A/N:** In case you don't know who Winthorp is, he's the badger who keeps using cheesy pick-up lines on Carmelita in the second comic book posted on Sly's page on the Sucker Punch Website.)

* * *

That same day, in the evening when Sly finally got home, he got a call from Bentley. Their plans for the heist were made, and all they need now was for Sly to meet them somewhere. The raccoon suggested picking him up in front of his apartment, as there were no other officers living in the same building, so they wouldn't be seen. After they made plans for a time, Sly hung up the phone, and dashed to his bedroom.

He dug under his bed for a while, rummaging around trying to find the red backpack and his cane, finding a shirt he had been looking for last week in the process. Finally finding the items he was looking for, Sly set the pack on the bed, and unzipped it. His old blue uniform was in there, looking like he had just worn it yesterday. He pulled it out carefully, along with his old gloves, hat, and boots. He laid it all out on his bed, and took a deep breath to calm himself. His heart was beating very fast, and he was already getting an adrenaline rush.

Was this a good idea…?

* * *

_There it all was; my thieving outfit, the one I thought I'd never wear again. It was laying there on my bed, looking brand new. I didn't rush to put it on. I was afraid if I did rush, I would find all of this wasn't real, and I'd become depressed. Even though I was a little scared, I was also excited, and felt happier and more alive than I had in a long time. _

_I was going to pull off another heist!_

_After a while of just staring at my costume, worried it was going to get up and run away, I started to change. Everything still fit me just fine. The boots, the gloves, the shirt, the belt… it was like my outfit was as excited as I was to go out thieving, but that would've just been weird. Then I took up my cane. My father's cane. My **grandfather's **cane. The cane that had been in my family for generations. _

_I could almost feel my father smiling down on me as I used the hook of my cane to snag my hat, throw it up into the air, and let it land squarely on my head. Then I smiled to myself, and looked at the old family photo of my parents that I kept on my dresser. Yeah. Dad was proud of me. After strapping the now empty red pack onto my back, I went for my bedroom window, and opened it. Climbing out to sit on the windowsill, I used my cane to hook onto a pipe going down the side of the building. _

_Oh, yeah, ladies and gentleman. The Thief was back in action._

* * *

**Sly Cooper In:**

_The Thief Returns_

* * *

Jumping from the pipe a few feet before the ground, Sly landed on his feet with ease, flipping his cane in his hand. Just as he started to stand up strait, the team van came speeding up into the parking-lot of the apartment building, and Sly pulled open the passenger-side door, and hopped in next to Murray. The large hippo was at the steering wheel, as usual, wearing his mask and his gloves. "The Murray" grinned at Sly.

"Now _that's _the Sly I've missed so much!" Murray said happily. Sly grinned back, then looking behind him to the back on the van. Bentley was literally glowing with pride like the setting sun, and Penelope was so happy to see Sly in his costume, she was almost in tears. Sly laughed. It felt good to be back.

"Shake a leg, Murray," Sly said, settling back into his seat. "Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

The Louvre Museum. The holder of the Mona Lisa, and other fine, priceless treasures. The security getting into the museum was tight, and the security around each of the objects was tighter. Bentley found that they'd probably only be able to steal one jewel at a time each night in a different pattern, so no one would be able to figure out when they made their move. Sly didn't care when they went out; his thieving side was back for the night, and it was itching to go into that museum.

To Sly's utter joy, Bentley actually did a slideshow. The raccoon had forgotten how much he missed Bentley's plans and organized operations. This operation in question was entitled 'Earth Stone Hijack'. Okay, so Sly _didn't _miss Bentley's corny operation names. He was just glad to be back on the team.

With his old Binocucom in his back-pack, Sly set off to find a way inside the Louvre. He saw there was a ventilation system close to the roof. It would be a challenge getting up there, but Sly was willing to do _anything_ right now. He found a pipe that made its way up a good portion of the building, but once he got to the end of the pipe, he had to jump, and hook his cane onto a hole between two of the bricks. He pulled back on the cane with strength and force, and let himself spring up high enough so he could latch his cane onto another hole in the wall. He kept doing this, being careful not to fall, until he managed to hook onto the vent covering. Using his cane like a rope, Sly pulled the cover off quickly, using his free hand to grab hold of the kind of 'ledge' he had made when the cover had been pulled away.

Pulling himself up so he could crawl through the vent, Sly exhaled deeply. He was amazed he was still able to do that; almost a whole year without any practice with his cane. Lady Luck was on his side tonight.

Busting out another vent cover, Sly let it clatter to the floor below, and he jumped from the vents himself, landing lightly on his feet like a cat. The plan was for him to get the others into the museum without setting of the security.

The raccoon thief found an emergency exit door that could only be opened from the inside; therefore, no alarm went off. Sly called Bentley in on his Binocucom, leading him and the others around to the back of the building. He waved to them when he saw them coming near the door. Once they were all inside, the door was pulled shut, and they all stayed quiet for a minute to let their eyes adjust to the newly-fallen darkness.

"Okay," Bentley whispered. "Penelope and I will go and find the security power-box, and shut it all down. This will keep all security offline for about…. Half an hour, we'll say. In that time, Sly and Murray will go find the Earth Stone, steal it, and then we'll all pile out of here before we're caught."

"Half an hour isn't very long," Murray mused.

"No worries, Murray," Sly said quietly. "We'll find it. Remember, thieves have a good sense of direction."

"But you haven't been a thief for a long time," Murray reminded him. Sly chuckled.

"It's all coming back pretty quick, pal," The raccoon said. "I think we'll be okay."

"Good luck, you two." Penelope said, and the two mini-teams went their separate ways.

Sly and Murray had a bit of a tough time trying to find their way through the Louvre. The security was tighter around certain areas, like the Mona Lisa, so it slowed the adventure down quite a bit. Sly didn't mind, though; he'd dodge his way through all the laser beams and movement censers, and help Murray find an alternative route.

Finally, the pair found an exhibit for ancient Europe. Sly hopped over the censers after telling Murray to stand watch, and found what he assumed to be the Earth Stone of Europe, but he couldn't be sure; he's ask Bentley just in case. He felt his Binocucom vibrate in his back-pack, and the raccoon took it out, holding it up to his eyes.

"Go for it, Bentley," Sly whispered.

"I just shut down the security system," Bentley said, though he sounded a little panicky. "I was wrong about my half an hour guess; more like fifteen minutes!"

"That's okay, pal, calm down," Sly said. "I found the European exhibit. Does the Earth stone of Europe happen to look like a round-cut piece of onyx?"

"The black and shiny stuff? Yeah, that'd be it." Bentley said. Sly grinned.

"Good. You and Penelope wait by the emergency exit door. Murray and I will be there in ten minutes."

"That's cutting our time limit pretty close, Sly," The turtle warned.

"You're cutting it close with your whining," Sly answered. "Relax, Bentley. I'm fine. Murray's standing watch and I'm right here next to the stone. I'll see you soon, alright?"

"Okay. Be careful." Bentley said, and Sly stuffed the Binocucom back into his pack.

The stone was resting on a red cushion raised up on a pedestal. A cube of glass surrounded the stone in its resting place, and there was no way to get it unless the protective glass case was lifted.

"Hey, Murray," Sly called in a hushed tone. "Come here for a second."

Murray jogged over to Sly's side. "What's up?"

"Can you lift the glass cube real quick?" The thief asked. "Try not to drop it, and don't touch the glass with your fingers; we don't want to leave fingerprints behind, or anything."

"Sure thing," Murray said, and making sure his gloves were on properly, he carefully lifted the glass cube. Sly quickly snatched the stone, and stored it safely in his bag.

"Thanks, big guy," Sly said. "Set it down now, carefully. Then we'll meet Bentley and Penelope back at the exit."

Once the glass cube was back in place, and Sly and Murray quickly ran through the museum, hoping the security system wouldn't come back on before they got to the exit. Sly did a perfect rail-slide down the same stair railing he had used when he was trying to catch Dimitri, and Murray ran as fast as he could to keep up with him. The exit was right there, so close…

"The security's back online!" Penelope said. Luckily, Sly and Murray hadn't tripped anything.

"Let's get out of here quick before any realizes we were here," Bentley said, and pushing open the door, they were greeted with a loud ringing sound. The turtle almost had a asthma attack.

"Move it!" Sly ordered, and she shoved the others outside quickly. They all ran to the van, and Sly urged Murray over and over to hurry up and get the van started once they were all piled inside. Murray started the engine, backed out the parking space he had used, and drove away at amazing speed. They had left the scene of the crime before any cops could show up, and for this, Sly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, reaching into his bag, he pulled out the Earth Stone of Europe, an onyx rock that was cut into an oval shape and polished to perfection.

"Two stones down," Sly said, handing the stone to Bentley with a grin. "Three more to go."

* * *

Sly was exhausted the next morning when Carmelita came to pick him up for work. He bought three cups of coffee for himself to at least _attempt _to keep himself awake, but he was so tired from the night before, he was afraid his exhaustion would give him away. Carmelita had heard about the theft the night before, and she was a little displeased, yet at the same time, oddly happy.

"J.R.'s been put on the case," Carmelita was saying to Sly as they drove to Interpol Headquarters. "He's going _insane_. The new that that Westwood guy was coming a week earlier than planned was enough to stress him out, but now that he actually had a case to worry about?" She laughed in amusement, and shook her head slightly.

Sly smiled tiredly, keeping his head leaned back on the seat. "Who is this Westwood guy, anyway? I know we saw him at that club a few nights ago, but… who is he?"

"Apparently he's supposed to be some highly-regarded cop from America," The vixen explained, pulling into their usual parking spot at Interpol. "New York, more specifically. He's an Inspector, I think, and he's on some case that's brought him here."

"Hmm…" Sly said, suddenly more awake. "I wonder what his case is…"

* * *

Merah Ringo marched her way up to the Cooper Gang hideout later that morning, a newspaper in her hand. She pounded on the door a little harder than she intended, and it was Penelope who answered it. Her eyes narrowed when she was Merah standing there.

"What do _you _want?" Penelope asked.

"I need to talk to Bentley," Merah said, and Penelope just narrowed her eyes anymore.

"Look, he's not interested, okay?" She snapped loudly. "We don't need your help anymore!"

"Clearly you do!" Merah replied just as loudly as Penelope, and shoved the paper into her face. Penelope pulled it away from her so she could read it; on the front cover was a photo of a red cushion, sitting on a pedestal, and the headline read, 'PRECIOUS ONYX STONE FROM EUROPE STOLEN FROM LOUVRE LAST NIGHT!'

"How the heck do these newspaper guys get their information so fast?" Penelope asked absently. Merah pushed her way passed Penelope into the house.

"Hey! You can't just walk in uninvited!" Penelope yelled after her.

"_Turtle_!" Merah yelled as she stormed into Bentley's lab. He looked up from his computer curiously, and then looked at her suspiciously.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I tried to keep her out," Penelope said, glaring at Merah's back.

"Are you… _crazy_!" Merah shouted. "Stealing the five Elements? Do you have _any _idea how priceless those are!"

"We have to collect them in order to keep that thief from stealing the blue diamond," Bentley said calmly.

"So steal the diamond itself," Merah said. "Lock it up in your… spiffy vault thingy. Why go for the other five when it's only the diamond that causes the damage?"

"There's more to stealing those stones than just keeping this new thief from collecting them all," Bentley said, narrowing his eyes. "Last night, when we stole the Earth Stone, Sly went back to his regular, normal self. You could see it in his eyes; he was the thief again, like he always used to be. If we can get him to steal all of those stones, we're hoping he'll come back to the gang. For good."

Merah sighed. "Have you ever thought maybe he likes his new life?"

"If he did, he wouldn't have agreed to come meet us," Bentley said knowingly. "If he did, he wouldn't have agreed to help us in the first place. Sly wants to come back; he just needs help realizing it."

"Fine," Merah said, crossing her arms. "So, you're trying to get Sly back into the gang. At least let me get that diamond so I know it's safe from that thief."

"Why are you so worked up about the diamond?" Penelope asked suspiciously, putting a hand on her hip. Merah turned to look at her, her silver-blue eyes full of determination.

"Let's just say," Merah said softly. "I've run into this thief before."

* * *

J.R. was pacing around the Chief's office restlessly, waiting for him to show up. After being assigned to get everything organized to help Westwood with the BD case _and _being assigned to the theft case at the Louvre, he was about ready to have a heart attack. This was too much meat on his plate, and believe me, J.R. could usually hand _a lot_ of meat.

Chief Jacey opened the door of his office, and froze in place when he saw his nephew pacing about nervously. The Chief sighed, closed the door behind him, slowly walking over to his desk, and taking his sweet time to get comfortable in his chair. J.R. tapped his foot, trying to be patient.

"Alright, Jamison," Chief Jacey said, lighting his cigar. "What do you want?"

"I want help!" J.R. yelled automatically. Then he took a deep breath to calm himself. "Listen, Uncle… you have me on two _big _cases. Inspector Westwood and his partner are coming next Monday, and I still haven't even made a dent in the preparations for the BD case. Now you've got me on this theft case? I can't handle it all!"

"You're getting a first-hand taste of what it's like to be Chief, J.R.," Chief said, puffing his cigar. "It's all about stress."

"I can't deal with _stress_," J.R. snapped. "I have a reputation to uphold in the office, for one, and… I… just… can't deal with stress!"

"Well, then, I guess you'll never make a good Chief," Jacey replied, lazily lounging back in his chair. "There's more to it than bossing people around."

'_Yeah, like eating doughnuts all day…_' J.R. thought bitterly. Then he said aloud, "Look, Uncle Jacey, I just… want help. Get an officer to agree to be my partner, or something; _anything_. I just need… help with all of this, someone who I can trust to prepare information for Westwood while I go out and deal with the Louvre case."

Jacey sighed then. "You're falling weak, J.R."

"No, Uncle, I'm just admitting when I need assistance," J.R. countered. Jacey surveyed his nephew for a long time, and then a smile broke out under his bushy moustache. He chuckled softly.

"Alright," He said, and he picked up his phone. He dialed a number, and waited for the person he was calling to pick up. A shy, quiet, feminine voice on the other end answered.

"Secretary," The voice said.

"Mimi!" Jacey boomed happily, obviously stating the secretary's name.

"Oh!" Mimi's voice exclaimed, alarmed. "Chief Ralston!"

"Listen, I was wondering if you could look for an officer who isn't partnered and who isn't on a case at the moment. Inspector Ralston needs some… assistance with his cases, and he figured the best way to go about it is to get a partner."

"Yes, Chief," Mimi said hurriedly, and Jacey could hear her typing furiously on her computer. "Um… well, Chief, we have… Alvaro."

"Just name them all off, I'll stop you when I hear a good name," Jacey said, taking a puff on his cigar again.

"Yes, sir," The secretary answered. "Bremmings, Cable, Caine, Didier, Dijiri, Dawson, Edwards, Faye, Grahm, Howsen, Jacobs, Martin, Stevensons, Tavita, Taye, Williams,--"

"Wait, who did you just name off?" Jacey asked, interrupting Mimi.

"Um… Williams, sir?" Mimi asked timidly.

"No, no, before that," The Chief said. "The T's."

"Tavita and Taye?"

"Tavita!" Jacey yelled in triumph, jumping to his feet and pointing a finger at his nephew. Mimi squeaked in surprise at his yell. "There you go, J.R.! A good cop, a loyal working partner, organized, and she's quite a looker, too."

"As long as she's hardworking, that's all that matters," J.R. said, crossing his arms.

"Mimi, send Constable Tavita to my office at once," Jacey ordered into the phone. "And get someone to bring me a coffee and a doughnut."

"Right away, sir!" Mimi exclaimed, and she hung up the phone. Jacey hung up the phone, too, grinning at J.R. as he did so.

"This girl is good," He said, settling back down into his chair. Then, as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!"

The door opened, and a pretty Persian cat with curly blonde hair walked her way into the room. She was wearing a pair of rather tight blue-jeans and a white, collared shirt. Her hair was left down, so the perfect curls cascaded around her shoulders. J.R. just stared at her, assuming she was Constable Tavita. He hadn't noticed her before, and now he felt kind of bad. She was _beautiful_.

"You wanted to see me, Chief?" Tavita asked. J.R.'s ears perked up at the sound of her voice. Her sexy Spanish accent just made her even more attractive to him.

"Yes, yes," Chief Jacey said, waving his hand in J.R. direction. "Modesta, this is my nephew, Jamison. He needs a partner to help him with information for a case Inspector Westwood is coming to do. I was wondering if you would consider helping him out."

Modesta glanced in J.R.'s direction, and she smiled at him, feeling surprisingly calm. He was staring at her with admiration, and she supposed that's what had given her the sudden confidence. She felt good, knowing J.R. was taking a notice of her now. Then she looked at the Chief.

"It would be a pleasure, Chief," She said.

"Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful," Jacey said, tapping his cigar on the side of his overly-filled ashtray. "J.R., if you could prep Constable Tavita about the BD case?"

"Of course," J.R. said, and he leaded Modesta to the door, trying to act as charming as possible. Once J.R. had closed the door behind him from his uncle's office, he drew an arm around Modesta's waist.

Sly and Carmelita, who had just left their own office, stopped in their tracks when they saw J.R. with his arm around Modesta, giving her his full and undivided attention. Sly pointed at them.

"Was that...?" He asked slowly, really confused.

"Yeah," Carmelita replied, her voice the same level as Sly's. "That was Modesta. With J.R."

Sly sighed. "Well… that's… unexpected."

Just then, Robin came out of his office wearing his brown trench-coat, and he stopped in surprise, too, when he saw J.R. showing Modesta into his office. He gawked at them for a minute, and then shook his head slowly.

"She's got it bad, doesn't she?" He asked Sly, who still couldn't comprehend how two very unlikely people paired up. Sly nodded slowly.

"Yep." He said flatly. "She does."

What a weird week this was turning out to be…

* * *

**A/N: **is shaking from excitement Okay! Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay! This story is… **really **taking shape now! OMG! I can't wait to freak you all out! XD

R&R, please!


	7. The Thief Returns Pt 2

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE: 9:41 PM**

* * *

Sly was back in his thieving outfit again, and he had just crawled out of his bedroom window so he could climb down the pipe. The team van pulled into the parking lot just as Sly let himself fall to the ground, landing on his feet. He ran to the passenger side, pulled the door open like he had on the first heist a two nights ago, and climbed into the van next to Murray.

"How's it going, guys?" Sly greeted, turning back to smile at Bentley and Penelope, but his face fell when he saw an extra person leaning against the wall, her arms crossed, and her eyes narrowed. She was wearing a kind of skin-tight, black body-suit that zipped up to her neck. A belt with a whole bunch of little pouches was around her waist, kind of just resting on hips. She wore black gloves, made out of the same material as her suit, and her long, beautiful hair was pulled back into a high pony-tail. Sly narrowed his eyes his eyes at the new passenger, who happened to be Merah Ringo.

"What's she doing here?" He asked Bentley.

"I'm here to help," Merah said simply, never moving.

"Well, thanks for the charitable offer, but we don't need it," Sly said, not liking the way this girl was acting.

"Clearly you do," She said, repeating what she had said to Penelope. "Setting off an alarm, Sly? Doesn't seem like a Cooper to do that."

Sly snorted. But surprisingly, he couldn't think of anything to say. Merah gave him a freakishly innocent smile, which made Sly's tail twitch in agitation.

"Look," He said. "We're fine without you, okay?"

"Just start driving, Murray." Bentley said flatly as Merah started to make a snide comment to Sly.

"Right, sure you are," She said, shrugging. "I'm sure you'll do just fine in prison, too."

"Oh, we'll be perfectly fine," Sly said. "Because we won't be going to prison. You, on the other hand, should maybe be a little worried."

Merah scoffed. "_I _should be worried? Oh-ho! This coming from a guy who's head over heels in love for a damn cop who manages to show up wherever he goes!"

"Look who's talking," Sly said, pointing at her accusingly. "Dragging Robin out to public places like that club last week! Do you realize how much trouble you got him into?"

The two did nothing but argue all the way to the Louvre museum, and until Bentley busted a lung from yelling at them to shut up, they didn't stop.

"Bastard," Merah hissed, crossing her arms over her chest again, and looking away from Sly. Sly glared at her, and slumped in his seat, sinking down so low you couldn't even see the top of his head from behind the seat. He crossed his arms, too, and rested one of his feet on the seat so his knee was raised.

"Stupid snot," Sly muttered.

"Okay!" Bentley yelled. "Look! We're here! Sly! Get into the museum, and let us in!"

Sly was muttering curses to himself about Merah as he kicked open the van door. Now he could see why Penelope didn't like her; Merah was rude, arrogant, she talked back, and acted like she was better than everyone. Sly didn't like this girl at all.

He took his traditional route up the side of the building, like he had two nights ago, and crawled his way through the vents. The vent covering he had busted off to get inside the building had been replaced, and Sly had to whack at it a few times before it popped out. He jumped down and landed on the shiny, waxed, marbled floor and made his way to the same security exit he had let them in through before. He made sure the alarm didn't go off this time when he opened it, and the gang piled in.

Well, _almost_ the whole gang.

"Where's Murray?" Sly asked as he closed the emergency door, glaring at Merah who was there instead of his big, pink friend.

"He's waiting in the van," Penelope said, crossing her arms. "We figured we'd have a faster getaway if he kept the van going."

"Yeah, and I'm stuck with you," Merah added dryly to Sly, throwing him a reproachful look. He just scoffed, and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling.

"Get the security down," Sly told Bentley. "And see if you can get it down longer this time."

"I'll try my best," Bentley replied. "Come on, Penelope."

"Good luck, Sly," Penelope said, completely ignoring Merah. The female raccoon thief didn't mind one bit. If Penelope had a problem with the female raccoon, it was that brainiac ditz's own problem. Merah hadn't done anything to get on bad terms with Penelope.

"Thanks," Sly said, and he ran off in the opposite direction of the turtle and his girlfriend. Merah followed behind him, managing to keep up.

"The Wind Stone is the closest," Merah told Sly as he dodged a whole bunch of motion censers. She did the same with ease as an impressive show of skill, and crossed her arms over her chest when she was done. He just gave her a dirty look.

"The one from China?" Sly asked, pressing on after he just glared at her for a minute. She still ran along side him.

"Yeah," Merah said. Then she skidded to a halt in front of an ancient Chinese exhibit, nearly slipping on the neatly waxed and polished floor. "Right here, right here!"

"I see it, relax," Sly snapped at her. The security for this exhibit was _tight_; probably because there were so many ancient Chinese artifacts in here, like hand-carved ivory sword handles and ancient war-helmets. Another reason could've been that they boosted up the security when they stole the Earth Stone. Sly watched the lasers that moved up and down, keeping horizontal, blocking the entrance into the exhibit. He was trying to see if he could time his jump properly and get through without tripping an alarm, but Merah suddenly grabbed his shoulder. He must've flinched, or something, when he thought about jumping.

"It's irregular," She observed. "They'd fry you, and we'd all be busted."

Sly glanced back at her, silently thankful that she had stopped him, though he wasn't about to admit that to her. He looked back at the exhibit before him, and managed to see an ivory-carved pedestal with a red silk cushion sitting on top of it and a cube of protective glass surrounding the cushion, much like it had been when he stole the Earth stone. A square-cut emerald was sitting in the middle of the silk pillow.

"Well, at least we won't have to hunt through all of the cases to find the stone," Sly said. Suddenly, the lasers stopped moving, blinked, and then disappeared completely. Sly felt the vibration of the Binocucom against his back, and he reached into his bag to get the device.

"Security is down," Penelope said proudly on the other line. "Bentley says it'll stay down for thirty-five minutes exactly. If you can, try and see if you can get another one of the stones while we're here."

"Saves us a trip," Sly said. "Tell Bentley to keep it up with that security; we'll be down soon."

"You'd think for a famous museum like this, they'd at least have guards patrolling the place," Merah said softly as Sly stashed his Binocucom into his bag. She looked behind her quickly before following him into the ancient Chinese exhibit.

"Don't complain," Sly said, heading right for the Wind Stone. "It just makes our job easier."

"I thought you liked running away from guards and police officers?" Merah shot back. Sly just chuckled softly, amused at her naïve-ness.

"Normally I would, but since I also work as a Constable at Interpol, I'd rather not be recognized," He explained. "Help me lift this glass up."

Together, with great care, Sly and Merah managed to lift the heavy glass cube surrounding the stone on its cushion. Once it was lifted enough, Sly quickly snatched the stone, and dropped it into his bag. Then, they set it down carefully back into place.

"Let's go find the next one," Sly said, and he made to exit the exhibit, but to his horror, he saw a guard coming around the corner. He was carrying a flashlight, and Sly just barely missed the beam of light. Grabbing Merah's arm, he pulled her into the shadows behind a large statue wearing ancient Chinese armor.

"I thought all the guards were supposed to be guarding the blue diamond?" Merah whispered. Sly shrugged. The two raccoon thieves surveyed the guard standing there; he was a large tiger. It would be impossible to try and fight him off… Suddenly, Merah got an idea, and she started to rummage around in Sly's bag.

"Hey," Sly hissed, trying to push her off. "What are you doing?"

"Shut up and hold still," Merah ordered in an undertone, and with a smile of satisfaction, she pulled the emerald from his bag, tossing it up and snatching it right out of the air. Then, crawling out of their hiding spot just enough so she could get a clear view of the guard, Merah pulled back her arm, and threw the emerald, causing it to land with a loud clatter in a corner away from them. The guard heard this, and made his way over to the where the emerald landed to investigate. Sly stared dumbly at where she had thrown the stone, and then he just looked over at her, that same expression of numb shock never leaving his face.

"What are you _doing_!" Sly whispered in horror, his voice going a little higher than usual. Merah just winked at him, and crept out of the hiding spot silently, sneaking up behind the guard.

Sly saw the guard bend down and pick the stone up off the floor, and he stood up strait, examining the emerald closely. Merah steadily moved closer to him, and before the guard had a chance to turn around and spot her, she used her hand to whack him hard in the crook of his neck. The guard fell to the ground, letting go of the emerald, and before it could hit the floor, Merah snatched it out of the air like she had just a few moments ago as the guard fell unconscious at her feet. She beckoned for Sly to follow her, and together, and rushed to the next exhibit holding another stone.

"How did you do that, anyway?" Sly asked in a whisper as he was dragged into an exhibit about Australia.

"Basic Karate," Merah explained hurriedly, looking through all the displays for the Water Stone. "I've taken so many classes to enhance my skills as a thief. There are so many weak points in the body; that's the one that knocks them out in a second."

"Impressive," Sly said, sounding like he really meant it, crossing his arms as he watched Merah. Then he realized what he just said, and cleared his throat. So she was cocky and annoying and arrogant… she was an excellent thief, he had to give her that much.

"Found it!" Merah exclaimed, though she managed to keep her voice low lest there be any other guards around. Sly hurried over to her, and looked to the glass display case. It was sitting there, on yet _another _red cushion amongst some other precious pieces of coral and seashells. It was a beautiful oval-cut sapphire, its color changing from dark blue to purple; it depended on what direction light hit it.

"Help me lift the case," Merah said to Sly, and they each went to one side. Merah counted to three, and they lifted the glass. It was heavier this time, as it wasn't just a small little box, but a huge rectangular prism. Because Sly was stronger than Merah, he let her grab the stone; it was in the middle of the display case, so Merah, slowly letting her end go, ran to snatch it, and then helped Sly put the glass case back.

"Good work," Sly said to Merah who had just dropped the sapphire in his bag. She flashed him a beautiful smile in response. Suddenly, Sly's Binocucom started to vibrate, and he pulled it out of his bag.

"Sly!" Penelope cried in alarm once the raccoon thief held it up to his eyes. "Get out of there! The security is going to come back on any time now!"

"What?" Sly asked in alarm. "What happened to our thirty-five minutes?"

"It's already been twenty-five," Penelope said. "Bentley's doing all he can to keep it shut down. You and Merah better get down here, quick!"

"We're on our way, Penelope," Sly said. "Just hang tight."

He stuffed his Binocucom back into his bag, and then dragged Merah along with him by the arm. "C'mon, we gotta go."

"Right behind you," Merah said.

They ran past the guard Merah had knocked out, and she saw with alarm that he was already starting to wake up. She must've not hit him hard enough. She quickly dashed back to the guard, keeping behind him, and gave him another good whack in the crook of his neck again. Catching up to him, she gave Sly a shove to tell him to speed up, and they booked it down a flight of stairs to the emergency exit door. Bentley and Penelope were hurrying to meet up with them, too.

"Get out, get out, get out!" Merah yelled at the other three, and once they were all outside, she slammed it shut, running full-speed after the others to get to the van. Not realizing that they were working with perfect cooperation, the two raccoon thieves helped Bentley and his wheelchair into the back of the van after Penelope before pilling in themselves in. They slammed the doors closed, and Murray sped the car off down the road.

After a minute, Sly started to laugh. Really hard. Merah just gave him a confused look as he fell back onto the floor, still laughing. Then the male raccoon thief cheered.

"What a blast!" He shouted. "When are we acting next, Bentley?"

"You're… you're enjoying yourself?" Bentley asked, not expecting this reaction. Well, he had expected it, but not so soon. Sly rolled over onto his stomach so he wasn't looking at the turtle upside-down. He grinned.

"Are you kidding?" He asked. "I've never felt more energetic in so long! Jeez, I've missed this life. We'd better steal that last stone soon, Bentley; some cop from America is coming on Monday, and I think he's on a case for that weird, destructive blue diamond."

"What did you say?" Merah demanded suddenly. Sly looked at her curiously.

"Some cop from America's coming on Monday?" He repeated questioningly. Merah's blue eyes grew huge.

"What's his name?" She asked loudly.

"Inspector Westwood…" Sly said slowly, sitting up. "Why?"

"Do you know if he has a partner?" Merah continued, ignoring Sly's question.

"Uh…" Sly thought back to when J.R. and Westwood were talking at the club he and Carmelita had been at. They were talking about someone who J.R. didn't trust, and who Westwood seemed to care about. "Yeah, actually, I think he does. Her name was…. Taylor, I think?"

"Murray, stop the van!" Merah ordered.

"Why?" Sly asked again.

"I have to… go see a friend," She said hurriedly, pushing the van doors open. "Look, call me when you're going on your next heist, okay? I'll help out again. I'll see you guys later!"

And after slamming the door behind her, Merah Ringo was gone. Sly looked at Bentley, who just shrugged.

"I take it she knew these people," Bentley said.

"Yeah…" Sly said slowly. "I guess she did…"

* * *

Robin was lounged back on his sofa in his apartment. He was watching TV, boredly flicking through the channels. It was really late, maybe one in the morning, or something, but he couldn't sleep. The conversation he had had with Sly a few days ago about Merah was on his mind. He was still thinking about quitting his job so he could be with her. Would it be worth it? Giving up all he had just for her? He loved her enough to do it, but would it be worth it?

A tap at the window caught his attention, and he sat up strait, looking over at it. Someone was outside there, wanting him to open the window. But his apartment was on the fifth story of the building; who could have climbed up that high? Robin got up, curiosity getting the better of him, and he opened the window. The person jumped in, and he was immediately greeted with a kiss. A smile formed on his lips as he wrapped his arms around her small frame.

'_Merah,_' Robin thought fondly. '_I should have known._'

"What are you doing here?" Robin asked Merah softly after she had pulled away from him. He looked into her eyes, and saw they were filled with distress and panic.

"Why didn't you tell me Westwood was coming to Paris?" She asked. Robin smiled at her reassuringly.

"What does it matter?" He asked, leaning into his her kiss again, but she stopped him by pushing him back slightly with her hand.

"Robin, it matters a lot," She said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think Westwood would worry you," Robin said curiously.

"Westwood doesn't," She said. "But his partner does."

"Since when does Westwood have a partner?" The fox asked in alarm.

"Since Mishelle went missing," Merah said, a hint of anger creeping into her smooth voice. Robin exhaled deeply, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

"She's coming here?" He asked. "With him?"

"It looks that way," She answered. Robin shook his head slightly.

"Honestly, my darling, if I knew she was coming with him, I would have told you," He said quietly. "I don't want you to get arrested any more than you do. I would have told you to run the moment I heard she was on her way."

"She's coming Monday," Merah said. "I have to get it before she does."

"I know," Robin replied.

"Can you do me a favor?" the raccoon asked softly. "Keep her from leaving the office when she comes. It'll give me a chance to get it."

"Consider it done," The fox whispered in reply, and he tilted up Merah's chin to kiss her lightly. He heard her give a soft, contented sigh as she relaxed into his embrace. He moved his mouth to her ear, and whispered, "I love you, Merah…" before he pressed his lips against her neck. He wanted to calm her, to banish the fear she was feeling. He felt her arms encircle his waist as she let her head rest against his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Robin…" He heard her whisper faintly.

* * *

The next morning at the office, Sly plopped down into his chair, and smacked his head down on the desk. It hurt, but he was too tired to move.

"Ow…" He muttered flatly. Then he yawned. Carmelita watched him curiously.

"Why are you so tired lately?" She asked. Sly groaned, and looked at her weakly.

"I haven't been able to sleep very well," He said, rubbing his eyes. It was sort of the truth; with all the excitement from his heists, Sly would go home feeling energized, so he never slept, and then when it came time to go to work, he'd be tired from getting no sleep.

"Any particular reason?" Carmelita asked. Sly shrugged.

"I don't know." He said, slumping back in his chair. "I just get a lot of energy at night, so I guess I get too wired to sleep."

"Understandable," Carmelita said, and Sly gave a silent sigh of relief. She hadn't figured anything out yet… that was good…

Hopefully, it would stay that way until they got the last stone and that blue diamond…

* * *

Robin woke up in his bed the next morning, and yawned, shielding his eyes from the sun that was pouring in through the window. He just laid there for a minute, and then felt something warm tickle his neck. Looking next to him, he saw Merah who was cuddled close to his body and curled up in the covers. She appeared to still be to sound asleep. Smiling slightly, Robin kissed her nose lightly. This made her groan, and she pulled the covers up over her mouth. Robin chuckled softly. He knew she was awake.

"It's morning," He softly to her, kissing her forehead. "And I have to go to work."

"On a Saturday?" She mumbled groggily.

"Six days a week, my love," Robin said. "Six thirty to eight."

"Eight?" Merah asked, opening her eyes finally. She squinted against the sunlight.

"Yeah," The fox replied, and he climbed out of bed. "Eight. Unless nothing goes on around the office. I don't exactly have much to do right now because I haven't tried to catch you in a while."

Merah smiled, still snuggled under the covers. "I'm already caught."

"Nice try," Robin said, pulling on a pair of jeans over his boxers. "But I still have to go to work."

"You'll keep your promise, right?" Merah asked, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Keep her busy while you go and steal what you need?" The fox asked, pulling on a white t-shirt. "I said last night, consider it done."

"Be careful, though," The raccoon warned. "She'll kill you if she gets the chance."

"I'll be careful," Robin said, and he gave Merah a quick kiss. "I'll see you at eight."

"See you…" Merah said softly as Robin grabbed his keys, pulled on his trench-coat, and left for work.

* * *

Much to Sly's surprise, it took the police at least a whole day to figure out the two stones he and the gang had stolen were missing. It was all over the news on Sunday, and now there was a rumor about a jewel thief. But… didn't all thieves steal jewels?

Bentley figured it was best to lay low for a while, but Sly disagreed; he still thought this Westwood guy was on the case for that blue diamond, and if they needed to steal it, he wanted to do it now.

"It's too risky," Bentley said on the other line of the phone. Sly was pacing around his living room restlessly. "The security on the whole museum will be impossible to break. They'll be guards on every level, motion-censers on the floor. We'll have to wait until it calms down."

"Didn't you say there was another thief who wanted to steal the Blue Diamond?" Sly asked, plopping down onto his couch. "What if they get it before we do?"

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Bentley said. "We'll call you when we think the time is right for a heist. Just lay low, Sly."

"Alright," Sly said.

"Promise me!"

"I promise, I promise!" Sly said, laughing a bit. Yeah, this was just like old times…

* * *

**A/N: **Hmm… questions arise… Ask me what they are in reviews, I just might answer them. XD

Hope you liked. R&R!


	8. The Thief Returns Pt 3

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE: 7:40 AM**

* * *

The day was here. The day Inspector Westwood would come to the Parisian Interpol Headquarters.

Modesta had been running around like a chicken all morning, trying to get files together, and trying to book a taxi to pick Inspector Westwood and his partner up from the airport. J.R. was trying to talk to the Chief, briefing him about the meeting they would have, and what would have to be done to ensure that this case went through properly, but the Chief wasn't listening. This only made J.R. frustrated, and he started yelling at random people. Modesta had to try and calm him down, which only added to the other responsibilities she had.

"I honestly don't get why everyone is making such a big deal about Westwood coming to HQ," Sly was saying to Carmelita in her office. He was laying back on the green couch near the window, his arms behind his head, and he was staring up at the ceiling boredly. Westwood and his partner were supposed to be arriving within the hour. "So he's from New York; big whoop. I heard from Jonesy that he's a bit of a klutz."

"I heard from Modesta that he's an excellent cop; made a thief turn good, and she's now working for the police." Carmelita said, shuffling through files. Modesta had asked Carmelita to help her with the huge work load. Sly grinned at the vixen from his spot on the couch.

"Didn't you do that, too?" He asked. Carmelita just smiled at him before going back to the files.

"Yes," She replied. "But no one knows. Everyone at Westwood's office knows what he's done, though."

"Good for him, then," Sly said, looking back up at the ceiling. "But I still don't see why this guy is so great."

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Carmelita said. "Frankly, I'm kind of curious as to why they'd drag him all the way out here from America just for a case. Unless it was some big, huge, top secret mission to try and stop a huge disaster from striking."

Sly sat up with a jolt. A big, huge disaster did she just say?

'_That diamond._" Sly thought, realization hitting like a brick in the face. Wait, why was he so surprised? He had thought this would happen. He knew Westwood would be on this case. Why _else_ would he come all the way from America? He knew the diamond was potentially dangerous, and he wanted to make sure no thief would get a hold of it.

'_Sorry, Inspector Westwood,_' Sly thought. '_But the Cooper Gang is going to get that diamond one way or another. It's the only way to keep it from falling into the wrong hands._'

There was a knock at the door, and after Carmelita gave permission for the person to enter, Modesta poked her head inside the room, looking a little anxious. Carmelita smiled when she saw her.

"Hey, Modesta," She said. "Enjoying your work with J.R.?"

"Huh?" Modesta asked. Then she smiled, and blushed a bit. "Oh, yeah. He's _so_ nice."

"Really?" Sly asked. "I would never have thought…"

"People just don't try to get to know him," Modesta argued. Then she shook her head slightly. "Anyway, I just came in to ask if you've got those files ready."

"Almost done," Carmelita said. "I'll drop them off once I'm finished."

"Okay, thanks," The Persian kitten said. "We'll be in Chief's office."

There was a moment of awkward silence as Modesta just stayed by the door, chewing on her lip. Then she said, "By the way, I kind of… got you two involved in the case…"

"Involved?" Sly asked. "Didn't we get in trouble for jumping into a case we _weren't_ involved in?"

"Yeah, but…" The feline let her tail motion itself back and forth. "Well, I'd kind of like to have you guys on the case. You're hard workers. And I've already signed you guys up to be on the team."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sly yelled, getting to his feet. "What?"

"Are you even _allowed _to randomly sign officers up without the Chief's consent?" Carmelita asked.

"You are," The Spanish Persian said softly.

"Ah…" Sly said, rubbing his eyes. If he was on this case, then the heist he was supposed to do for Bentley would go out the window. "Modesta…"

"Please?" Modesta pleaded. "C'mon, you two are some of the best officers in here, and I feel kind of bad for the fact you've been cooped up in here for a week doing nothing…"

Carmelita and Sly looked at each other. It _would _give them an excuse to do something, because time at the office was getting steadily more and more boring. And besides, Sly _was_ curious about this 'important' case Westwood was involved in. And now that he thought about it, if Westwood _was_ on a case to protect that diamond, it would be helpful if Sly knew exactly when and where the Interpol officers would be. It would help Bentley plan their next heist to steal the last Element stone (and hopefully the diamond) around the schedule of the cops.

"As long as J.R. doesn't call me 'Witt' anymore," Sly said after a while, looking back at Modesta. She cheered, and actually threw herself at him. Sly could feel her lips press against his cheek.

"Thanks, Sly, you're the best!" Modesta said fondly, and after giving a wave to Carmelita, she left the room. Sly looked at her. She looked at him, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You know, I didn't enjoy that." Sly said randomly.

"Uh-huh." Carmelita replied, giving him a firm look, but Sly could see the smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Sure you didn't."

"I swear," Sly said, holding up a hand, but he was grinning. "Actually, it… kind of surprised me."

"Oh, yeah," Modesta said, popping her head back into the room. "We're having a meeting in the Chief's office in fifteen minutes."

* * *

About five minutes before the meeting was about to begin, Sly and Carmelita stepped out into the hallway. As soon as they closed the door behind them, they noticed Modesta and J.R. talking with two officers. One was the familiar-looking Arctic Fox, Inspector Westwood, and the female black cat standing next to him Sly could only assume was his partner, Taylor.

Westwood was dressed differently than the last time Sly and Carmelita saw him at the club. He was wearing a pair of baggy, faded blue-jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a black trench coat with a high collar. His blue eyes were hidden behind shades, and he looked like some guy right out of the Matrix. The girl standing next to him, however, looked normal, and didn't dress like a Neo Wanna-Be, though she _did _have a mysterious air about her.

She had wavy black hair that reached half-way down her back and she was wearing a white, long-sleeved t-shirt with a regular, blood-red t-shirt over it. She wore a pair of big, clunky boots that Sly was amazed she could even walk in, but most of the boot was covered by her blue jeans that flared out a bit at the bottom. The thing that stood out most about her, however, was her eyes. They were bright green, and filled with a secret. It seemed like those eyes could pierce through your very soul with one dark look. Sly definitely didn't get warm fuzzies from her.

"Sly, Carmelita," A voice hissed, and the two looked over at Modesta, who was beckoning them over. Together, they walked over to her. J.R. was standing next to her, talking to Westwood, but Sly wasn't paying much interest in what they were saying; his eyes were on Westwood's partner. She was standing with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed slightly. What was with her?

The Chief came out of his office then, his regular cigar between his teeth, and his newly-shined Chief's badge pinned to his chest. He puffed some smoke from his cigar out of his mouth, and looked to J.R.

"Inspector Ralston," The Chief said. "Would you care to introduce the officers on this case?"

"Of course, sir," J.R. said, and he motioned to Westwood. "Inspector Harold Westwood, the officer from the American branch of Interpol and his partner, Inspector Mishelle Taylor."

"Inspector Westwood," The Chief greeted, holding out his hand to shake. Harold Westwood shook his hand firmly, removing the shades from his eyes.

"Chief Ralston," He said. "Thank you for supporting this case. You have no idea how crucial it is."

"No trouble, Harold, no trouble," The Chief said. Harold chuckled a bit.

"Call me Harry, sir," He said. Chief Jacey nodded in response, and held a hand out to Inspector Taylor. She just looked at it for a moment with those piercing green eyes of hers, and then slowly uncrossed her arms to grasp the Chief's hand briefly before taking up the same stance as before. Chief Jacey obviously noticed Mishelle didn't want to converse or socialize, so he just cleared his throat uncomfortably, and stuck his cigar back in his mouth.

"So," He said. "Shall we get this meeting underway?"

"Oh," Modesta said, speaking to Harry as the Chief walked back into his office. "I've recruited some officers to help out with the case. If you don't mind, that is. They're good officers, and their talents will be helpful with the case."

"We don't need any help," Mishelle said curtly with a bite of impatience in her voice, and she followed the Chief and J.R. (who had just followed his uncle) into the office. Mishelle's voice was a bit low for a female, but it was still feminine all the same.

**(A/N: The best way to describe Mishelle Taylor's voice: If you've ever seen Miyazaki's film 'Princess Mononoke', listen to the actress who plays the voice of the Princess herself in the English version of the film. That is what Mishelle's voice is like.)**

Modesta lowered her ears when Mishelle made that retort, and Harry just sighed.

"Don't worry about her," He said to the Persian. "She's just… independent. Anyway, you recruited new officers? Great, the more help, the better."

Modesta offered a small smile Harry's way, and then gestured to Sly and Carmelita, who, up until then, had been standing there unnoticed. Modesta went on to make introductions.

"Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox," The cream-colored feline said, gesturing to the vixen. Harry recognized Carmelita in a second, and grinned as he shook her hand.

"Not the Inspector who arrested Muggshot?" He asked. Carmelita raised a brow.

"How did you -?"

"I was supposed to go to Mesa at that time, but got called on to something else," Harry said. "But I'm glad I _was_ called away. I'm willing to give up a case to a beautiful woman, and an exceptional officer like yourself deserved to make a big capture early in her career. Not that I'm saying I've been a cop any longer than you have, you could probably run circles around me."

Carmelita had to laugh. "I've heard some good things about you, too, Inspector Westwood."

Harry then turned to Sly, and held out a hand to him, too, and Sly returned the shake in a friendly manner. The raccoon went to introduce himself.

"Constable Sly Cooper," He said. "Honor to meet you, Inspector."

"Sly Cooper?" Harry asked. "Not… the thief?"

"No," Carmelita said, quickly jumping in before Sly could say anything. "No, not the thief."

"Alright, then," Harry said. "Just a strange coincidence, I suppose."

"Harry!" Mishelle snapped, popping her head out of the Chief's office. "Get in here!"

"I'm coming," Harry said. Sly looked at him.

"How can you deal with having such a moody working partner?" He asked.

"Believe me," Harry said as they walked into the office. "She's never normally this moody."

There were chairs set up in front of the Chief's desk, and Sly took a seat next to Carmelita. Harry and Mishelle sat together, too, but Mishelle looked like she's rather be doing something else. Modesta handed the Chief a file folder for the case, and he immediately flipped it open, taking out the papers inside.

"So," Chief Jacey said. "Inspectors. Do you know anything about this case?"

"Why do you think we're here? We're trying to tell you." Mishelle said flatly before Harry could say anything. He gave her an icy look. The Chief just raised a brow at her, but didn't say anything. Instead, he flicked his cigar against his ashtray before putting it back into his mouth.

"I'll let you tell us, Westwood," Chief Jacey said.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, throwing Mishelle one last look, silently telling her to behave herself before turning back to the Chief. "If you look on the second page stating the case, you'll see a picture of a diamond. This diamond –"

"It's a topaz," Chief interrupted.

"No, it's a diamond," Harry said.

"It's blue," Jacey said, blowing smoke out of his nose.

"It's a blue diamond, yes," Harry said.

"Diamonds aren't this shade of blue," Chief said, almost sounding frantic. J.R. cleared his throat, making his uncle look at him.

"It's called the 'Blue Diamond' case, Uncle," The malamute said. "The BD case? This would be the same one."

"Oh," Chief Jacey said. "Carry on, then, Westwood."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, and Sly could see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Honestly, the Chief wasn't normally like this. "Anyway, this diamond was created by scientists and archeologists. They wanted to make the diamond a different color to make it more valuable, and whatnot. But a fair amount of Plutonium gas was formed inside."

"The diamond has to be moved to a secure location so scientists can stabilize it," Mishelle continued, sounding really bored. "A thief has been reported sending notes to the police, claiming they want to steal it. We have to get the diamond, move it to a secure facility."

"Excellent," Chief said. "We can maybe get this done by tonight."

"Unfortunately, no," Harry said. "You see, with the amount of security guarding the diamond, it would take at least a few days to get it all down for us to get close to it. First filling out paperwork for the guards to be moved onto something else, then deactivating the floor sensors, which will take a few hours to do _all_ of them, and then the motion sensors, another few hours and the laser beams, and then we'd have to contact the facility we want to put it in, and—"

"Alright, alright!" Chief Jacey exclaimed, looking a little overwhelmed. "So… it'll take us a few days. That's fine. We'll get some officers to be on patrol twenty-four-seven while security is being taken down."

"Inspector Fox and Constable Cooper could be in charge of that," Modesta suggested, flashing the pair a grin. Sly returned her smile, lounging back in his seat. The Chief looked at Sly and Carmelita like they were ghosts.

"How'd you two get in here?" He asked, aghast. Sly raised a brow, but Carmelita was the one who spoke.

"We've been in here the entire time," She said slowly.

"Ah," Chief Jacey said. "Yes, well… very good, then. I'll let all you young people make the plans, and… I'm going to go get a glass of water."

Sly exchanged confused looked with Carmelita, and then Modesta. The Chief was _never _like this. A small noise next to Sly caught his attention, and he turned his head to look at Mishelle who had the tiniest hint of a smirk on her features. Her green eyes were just staring at the Chief's desk, and then she got to her feet, headed for the door. Harry followed her, obviously not noticing anything, but Sly, Carmelita, Modesta and J.R. stayed behind for a minute.

"The Chief is acting so strangely…" Modesta whispered into the eerie silence.

"There's definitely something weird going on with him," J.R. said. "Probably just nerves… _Hopefully _just nerves."

"I don't like that Inspector Taylor…" Sly muttered under his breath, but the black and white canine must've heard him.

"You don't like her either?" J.R. asked. Sly shook his head slowly, forgetting to whom he was talking to.

"No…" The raccoon said. "I don't."

"Come on, we'd better get this case organized," Carmelita said, and the four made their way out of the musty room smelling of stale coffee and cigar ashes.

Just as soon as the raccoon stepped out into the hall, Robin walked from of his office, and Sly noticed something very strange. Mishelle and Robin made eye contact, but as soon as she saw him, her bright green eyes narrowed dangerously. Robin's eyes held a dark look, as well. It was obvious they knew and didn't like each other, but how a Detective from England and an Inspector from (Sly assumed) America knew each other was a complete mystery. He would have to talk to Robin later.

"I'm going to get some coffee," Mishelle said suddenly. "Don't wait up for me, will you, Harry?"

"Oh… um… kay?" Harry said questioningly as the black feline walked away. She actually stopped to speak to the secretary for a moment before walking past a cubicle and out of sight.

'_I definitely don't like her…_' Sly thought as he watched her leave.

* * *

Back in his apartment, Sly was talking to Bentley on the phone again, telling him about what happened that day. So far, the turtle wasn't impressed with what the raccoon was telling him.

"You're on the case we're supposed to keep from happening?" Bentley asked calmly.

"Yeah, because my co-worker Modesta Tavita decides she wants Carmelita and me in on the action," Sly replied, plopping down on his couch. "It's a good thing that kitten is cute…"

"Sly, this is bad!" Bentley exclaimed, causing Sly to have to hold the phone at arm's length from his ear. He could still hear his friend perfectly. "If you're caught stealing that diamond, who knows what'll happen! What if you get caught?"

"Do you think I haven't thought of this?" Sly asked, putting the phone back up to his ear again once Bentley had stopped yelling. "I'm as worried as you are, but this way, it'll give us a direct insiders view of what'll happen. It'll help you plan around it."

"True," Bentley said slowly. "But it'll also make it difficult for you."

"Don't worry about me, Bentley," Sly said, grinning into the phone. "Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Alright," The turtle said. "Call me when you figure something else out, okay?"

"Sure thing, pal," Sly said, and after exchanging good-byes, the two friends on either end hung up the phone. Sly dropped his cordless into his lap, and lay back on the couch, putting his hands behind his head. Man… everything that was going on was huge and overwhelming… he just wanted to get this done and over with.

* * *

Merah was pacing the living room anxiously, waiting for Robin to get home. She was still in his apartment; he didn't mind her staying there. Actually, she thought he _preferred _it if she stayed there, but as a thief, she had to be on the move constantly.

After sitting on the couch for about ten minutes, doing nothing, she jumped to her feet, and started to randomly clean things. Then she abandoned her cleaning after she realized what she was doing, and went to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, and then closed it, checking the time on the microwave. 6:04. Then she went back to the living room, and lay down on the couch again. Then she jumped up again, and started to pace, which is where we are now.

She was nervous. Mishelle was here in Paris… she was at Robin's office… oh, god, why did she have to come?

She tugged at the collar of her black body-suit, trying to calm herself by breathing. It was going to be okay… she just had to relax and think positive.

No positive thoughts came to mind.

The relaxing bit didn't work so hot, either.

Suddenly, there was a click at the front door, and Merah stood stalk still. She could hear keys turning the lock. What if someone had stolen Robin's keys? Okay, no, that wasn't likely… but… still, what if?

The door opened and Robin himself came in through the door. Merah let out the breath she was holding as a sigh of relief. He gave her an odd look, but was smiling all the same.

"I didn't think you'd still be here," He said, closing the door behind him and setting his keys on the counter.

"I wanted to know what was up," She said softly, slowly walking towards him. "Is she here?"

"Yeah," Robin said, sounding emotionless. "Mishelle's here. She's going to try and move the diamond."

"I knew that's what she was going to do," Merah hissed. "Dammit… And Bentley hasn't gotten back to me yet on that heist. I _have _to get it before Mishelle does."

"Why don't you tell Bentley you need help stealing the diamond?" Robin asked.

"Because he wants it, too!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air. "He wants to lock the diamond and the Five Elements into this vault thing he has in his lab. I don't think he realizes anyone could break in there if they had the proper codes."

"Merah," Robin said, moving close to her and taking her hands in his. "Listen… I'd love to help you. But I can't. I'm not authorized. If you'd let me quit, I could –"

"No," Merah answered firmly, narrowing her eyes at the fox. "I'm not letting you quit. Don't throw it all way for me."

Robin sighed, and nodded. "I just… feel so useless that I can't help you."

Merah gently touched his cheek. "You're so much help. Everyday. You tolerate my rants, and I admit it, I rant a _lot_. But you listen. So thank you."

"I want to be able to do more," the fox said, cupping her cheek with his hand. He brushed her cheek with his thumb gently, and she just smiled at him. Looking at him always made her forget her fear and panic.

"Well, not arresting me has been a great help," She joked. Robin laughed.

"I mean aside from that." He said. "But I can settle with being on the sidelines… though it does get kind of boring to see you have all the action."

"Is it now?" Merah asked playfully, letting her arms encircle his neck. He just chuckled softly, and let his lips brush hers. He brought a hand up to her throat, and pulled at the zipper of her body-suit, slowly dragging it downward. She didn't try to stop him. They both needed a night to unwind before all hell broke lose.

* * *

**A/N:** What hell could they possibly be thinking of? Hmm… I guess we'll just have to see.

Any guesses about who the villain is in this story? C'mon, c'mon, I want to see if you're right. I don't think you'll _ever _guess though. XD Good luck all the same.

R&R!

That means you, buddy! points to Kit accusingly Yes, you! You'd better type something up, pal! XD


	9. The Thief Returns Pt 4

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE: 2:52 PM**

* * *

It had been two days since Inspectors Harold Westwood and Mishelle Taylor arrive in Paris. Modesta had dragged Sly and Carmelita into the Blue Diamond case, and for two days – two _long _and _boring _days – they had been stuck at the Louvre, on guard and on patrol while security was being taken down.

Sly was about to flip his lid – this was driving him crazy! He couldn't _stand _standing around and marching back and forth in the same pattern for hours on end. He wanted to be out on the town, chasing criminals, doing the field work. He was now starting to pity the guard who Merah had taken down last heist; poor guy, one of five in the entire museum guarding this priceless and dangerous jewel. How boring could it get? Sure, it was nice to look at. But after seeing it for fifteen hours every day started to be a little much.

"Great," Sly said bitterly, checking his watch. "Two hours down. Thirteen more to go."

He gave an exasperated groan, and sat down on the marble floor, leaning against the wall. Carmelita, who was still patrolling, looked at him, and shook her head in annoyance.

"Can you stop complaining for once?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. Sly offered her a small smile.

"Sorry," He said honestly. "But this… isn't my thing. It's a good thing Modesta is cute; if she were any other woman in the office, I probably would have turned them down flat if they asked me to do this."

"You just can't help but act all big-brotherly to her, can you?" Carmelita asked, a smile forming on her lips. Sly shrugged.

"It's the cute, innocent-ness that gets me, that's what it is," He said, getting to his feet.

"Oh," The vixen chuckled, grabbing the raccoon by the collar and pulling him close to her. "So if I were cute and innocent, you'd be more attracted to me?"

"I never said I was attracted to Modesta," Sly corrected, not minding the closeness at all. "I care about her _because _she is cute and innocent. Now, you, on the other hand…"

Sly slipped his arms around her waist, and pressed his nose against hers. "I'm attracted to you because you're strong, hard-working, and gorgeous. So while I care about Modesta, my feelings are still for you."

Carmelita tilted her head to the side slightly, a flirty smile on her face. She put her arms around his neck, and said softly, "Good answer," before she leaned in to kiss him.

Their lips just barely touched when an angry, "Hey!" made them pull away from each other slightly. When they looked to see who yelled, Mishelle was standing here, a hand-gun gripped in her black paw, and a scowl on her face.

"Do you think you could stay focused on your _job_ instead of on each other?" She snapped. Sly raised a brow.

"C'mon, Mishelle, we've been at this for two days," He said. "Can't we have a little bit of 'us' time?"

"No, you can't." Mishelle said flatly, turning away. "And it's Inspector Taylor to you, Cooper."

The raccoon rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, and reluctantly let go of Carmelita, who was glaring in the black feline's direction as she walked away.

"What a snot," Carmelita muttered. "What can a nice guy like Harry Westwood possibly see in a rude, easily-angered person like Mishelle Taylor?"

"That's the million dollar question, Carmelita," Sly said. "_My_ question is how Mishelle knows Robin, though."

"She knows Robin?" Carmelita asked, looking back at Sly. He nodded.

"They gave each other a dirty look after the meeting in Chief's office two days ago," He explained. "There was obvious loathing between the two."

"Hmm…" Carmelita said, thinking. "That's… weird. Maybe we should ask him?"

"I've been meaning to, but he's leaving the office early every day this week," Sly replied. "And '_Inspector Taylor_' won't let me get off so I can ask him before he leaves."

"Why is he leaving so early?" Carmelita asked. "It's not like Robin to leave before the day's out."

Sly had a guess as to why Robin was leaving early, but he couldn't very well tell Carmelita. He was probably leaving early because of Merah.

* * *

Merah rolled over in bed, pulling the covers tighter around her. She snuggled into the embrace of Robin, lying with her back against his chest. She felt him nuzzle her ear, and she laughed softly.

"'Morning," She said quietly.

"Good morning," He whispered, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Merah said, rolling over onto her other side so she was facing him. "Did you?"

"Like a baby," He answered with a smile. Then it faltered a little bit, and he asked slowly, "I didn't… hurt you last night… did I?"

"What?" Merah asked, propping herself up on her elbow. Then she realized what he was talking about, and grinned. "Oh. No. Why?"

"I was worried I did," Robin said, giving her a kiss. Merah kissed him back, and then snuggled down into the mattress, drawing the covers tightly around her. Then she saw the clock on Robin's bedside table, and frowned.

"Should you be at work…?" She asked softly. The fox shrugged.

"I don't think Chief will notice if I'm late," He said. "I was only supposed to be helping out with that case Mishelle and Harry are on; I got myself involved so I could keep an eye on her."

"Well, if the Chief won't notice, Mishelle definitely will."

"Why?" Robin asked, looking at Merah weirdly.

"It's ten to eleven," She stated.

"What the-?" Robin yelled, sitting up and looking at his clock. "Damn!"

She sat up as he bounded out of bed, holding the covers up to her chest. "Y'know, I think you should stop coming home from work early. At least until this is over. You're getting _way _too distracted."

"I can't help it if you're a distraction," Robin retorted, pulling a t-shirt on over his head. Merah laughed.

"By the way, if you _do _come home early, I might not be here," She said. "I'm going to go and see Bentley; I want to know what's going on with him and that heist he's supposed to be planning."

"Be sure to leave a message on the phone if you do go," Robin said, pulling on a pair of socks. "I don't want to be worrying about you constantly."

"You do anyway," Merah said fondly in a soft voice. She looked over at the clock again, and announced, "Five to eleven."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Robin said loudly. "I know, I know! Stop trying to stress me out!"

He went over to her and gave her a deep kiss that she was happy to return. After about a minute, she pulled away with a brow raised.

"Are you stalling on purpose?" She asked. Robin smiled sheepishly.

"I'm going, I'm going…" He muttered, giving her one last kiss before leaving the room.

"Remember your promise!" She called after him, reminding him for the fifteenth time.

"I will!" He called back from the kitchen. She heard the jingle of his keys as he unlocked the door to the apartment, and he called again, "I love you!"

"Love you, too!" She yelled back, and chuckled softly. Then she got out of bed to get dressed.

* * *

The vulpine detective pulled his car up to the front of the Louvre, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He got out of his car, and straitened his trench coat before closing the car door, locking it, and making his way to the large museum in front of him.

When he entered, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Mishelle Taylor standing by the door, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, hidden in the shadows. Only her green eyes really stayed luminous, and her black fur just enhanced the green, making them almost glow. Robin didn't even look at her, and just walked past without a word. Then he heard her start to laugh, which made him stop.

"What the bloody hell do you want, Taylor?" Robin snapped, keeping his back to her. He heard her boots clunk along on the floor as she walked towards him.

"Nothing," She said innocently. "I just want to know why you're late for a job you signed yourself up for."

"I'm a Detective, Mishelle," Robin said, turning to glare at her. She was standing next to him now, with her weight on one leg, and one hand on her hip, the other arm hanging loosely at her side with her gun held tightly. "I have lots of other things to be doing."

"Yeah, like hitting the sack with your girlfriend," The black feline retorted flatly. Robin was taken aback for a moment, and then he glared at her darkly, something you didn't normally see on his kind face.

"What the fu—" He started to say, but Mishelle cut him off.

"Come on," She said. "Don't think I don't know. I'm sure many people have guessed why you're leaving the office early every day."

"So let them guess," Robin snapped, starting to turn away. "What I do in my spare time is my business and no one else's."

"Yes, but what you do in your spare time with a certain feisty, female raccoon thief _should_ be the business of the police." Mishelle said softly. Robin stopped walking again, and he turned around to reply, but when he did, she had her gun raised, aiming right between his eyes. She could kill him instantly if he pulled that trigger…

"Where is she, Robin?" Mishelle asked darkly, her green eyes glinting. "Where is Merah?"

"What makes you think I should know?" Robin retorted. Mishelle just glared, but a smile lingered on her lips.

"Well," She said, taking a step towards him, keeping her gun raised. "I can smell her on you, for one thing; that distinct, rosy smell of hers. It always made me feel sick. Oh, and look," Mishelle pulled something off the shoulder of Robin's jacket, holding it up to show him. "A strand of her hair. Really, Robin, if that doesn't tell me you were with her, I don't know what will."

Robin didn't say a word. He just glared at Mishelle with the deepest loathing possible, which only made the feline angry. She tightened her finger on the trigger.

"If you don't tell me where she is, Robin Hood Mace," She said, her green eyes glinting with malice. "My hand will accidentally _slip_ –" She shook her hand holding the gun slightly, making the fox flinch. "- and your brains will be lying all over this floor."

"And you'll be charged with first degree murder." Robin said flatly. Mishelle jutted her jaw, breathing out hard from her nose, and she slowly lowered the gun, never taking her eyes off Robin's face. He gave her a little smirk before he turned, and walked away.

Mishelle watched him go, and then she smiled again. "Hmm… I'll get her eventually, Robin. Merah won't walk away with that diamond alive."

* * *

**A/N:** A short chapter. Just to shake things up. I have to draw this out, nice and long, to make you all wait in agony as to what's going to happen. XD Muahaha! 

Kinda boring chappie. Sorry. Not much going on. But I'm sure some questions came up with that conversation between Robin and Mishelle.

**_R&R!_**


	10. The Thief Returns Pt 5

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE:4:26 PM**

* * *

Back in Bentley's lab, the turtle was monitoring his hidden cameras closely. He could see all of the police officers and duty, and when he saw that Sly was one of them, he almost had a heart attack. He had called Sly that evening, and yelled at him to get his black and grey tail down to the hideout. The moment Sly walked into the lab, Bentley began to pelt the raccoon with paper balls. Why? Good question.

"What kind of idiotic stunt are you trying to pull?" Bentley yelled. Sly gawked at him, only blinking when another paper ball hit him in the forehead.

"Idiotic stunt?" Sly asked. "What are you -?"

"I'm talking about guarding the Diamond at the museum!" Bentley screeched. Sly was amazed the turtle didn't bust a lung...

"Hey," Sly said, knocking aside another one of Bentley's paper balls. "Look, I think this could be a good thing. You'll have inside access to the plans of the police through me. And maybe we can come up with a good plan of our own. Harry Westwood said that it would take a few days to deactivate all of the security, but I'm sure you could do it within a matter of hours."

"Well…" Bentley said slowly, aiming to throw another paper ball at his friend, but he lowered his hand, pondering. "Yes, I suppose I could do it within a few hours. Maybe two?"

"Good," Sly said, holding his hands in front of his face so he could catch Bentley's next paper ball when he threw it. "So, we _will_ make a plan. If I can get the other officers patrolling to leave just before I steal the diamond, we'll be set."

"Don't forget," The turtle said, turning his wheel chair a little so he could wheel himself away. "We still have to get the last Element stone."

"Ah…" Sly said, his ears drooping. "I forgot… We can't get it after we get the diamond though, because once that's gone, security around the last stone will be just as tight. They may even have floor sensors _everywhere_!"

"Okay, okay," Bentley said, holding up a hand to silence Sly. "New plan. Merah will help us anyway, so maybe we can steal the last Element first, and then wait until the security for the diamond is down."

"That'll just make it all harder," Sly said flatly. Bentley raised a brow.

"I thought you enjoyed a challenge?" The turtle asked, crossing his arms pointedly over his chest. "Or has police life really changed the Sly Cooper I once knew?"

The raccoon surveyed his friend for a while, and then smiled, giving a chuckle and clapping the turtle on the back of his shell.

"You win," He said, still grinning. "I surrender. I'll follow your plan."

"Good," Bentley said, smiling back.

"Thanks pal," Sly answered truthfully. "Really. For everything. You're helping me find myself again."

"It's the least I could do," Bentley replied. "Now let's get this plan cooked up."

Bentley started to wheel away to his computer again, but then he stopped, and threw the last paper ball at Sly, who caught it. He grinned, and wagged a stern finger at the turtle.

"Nice try," The raccoon said, chuckling at the smirk his friend gave him.

* * *

Mishelle paced around the office she was sharing with Harry while they were in Paris. The Parisian scenery had gone completely unnoticed to her so far. It's not like she cared all that much, anyway. She just had one thing on her mind and one thing only.

_Merah Ringo._

"C'mon, Mishelle," Harry said, lounging back in his chair and drinking a cup of black coffee. He loved black coffee... "Take a break. This'll be over soon."

"It's not over until I have that little slut locked up," Mishelle snapped, shooting Harry a glare, but he had grown used to the icy looks. He didn't even notice them anymore.

"Give the Merah thing a rest--"

"I am not giving the Merah thing a rest!" Mishelle yelled, getting right in the Arctic fox's face. Harry just idly sipped his coffee, looking the black feline right in the eye. "Until she is in jail, I won't be easy going with this, Harold!"

"How do you know she's even in France, anyway?" Harry asked, idly sipping more coffee again. "And even if she _is _in France, she could anywhere! Marseille, Lyon, Nantes, Dijon…"

"She's in Paris, West," Mishelle replied, resuming her pacing. "I know she is. Her '_beau_' practically told me she was here."

"Beau?" Harry asked, sitting up strait. He watched Mishelle pace, confused. "What _beau_?"

"Robin Hood Mace," Mishelle replied with a cunning smile. "I talked to him yesterday."

Harry set his cup of coffee down on the desk with a sigh, and put his head in his hands. He shook it for a minute, and then got to his feet, irritation written plainly on his face.

"Mishelle, you can't just go around suspecting people!" He said loudly. "What proof do you have?"

"I suddenly need proof?" Mishelle demanded, getting in Harry's face again. "What happened to your trust in me?"

"I _do _trust you, Mishelle," Harry said, lowering his voice. He didn't want to make her upset, but she _was_ really taking this _way_ to far. "But… honestly, a Detective having a relationship with a thief? It's just… unnatural."

"Unnatural?" Mishelle asked in a whisper, narrowing her bright green eyes at him. Then, with a huff, she stomped out of the office. Harry sighed. And then he relaxed back onto his chair, scooping up his cup of coffee.

"She'll be back soon," He muttered aloud to himself.

* * *

Merah was in the lab again with Sly, Bentley, Penelope and Murray. Sly was prepping her about the next heist and she was listening carefully, but didn't look all that enthusiastic. Surprising, considering the fact she was scared out of her mind of Mishelle and the fact that the black cat was here.

"So," Sly was saying, obviously really excited. "I'll get the other guards to leave, and while I'm on duty, I'll steal the last--"

"No." Merah said flatly. Sly raised a brow.

"No?" He asked slowly. "Why not?"

"Because it wouldn't look good on your record if something was stolen while you were on duty," She said flatly. "Besides, your criminal record would be against you, and you'd be the first suspect."

"Only Carmelita and Robin know I remember being a thief," Sly pointed out. Merah shrugged.

"That doesn't matter," She said. "People will be suspicious of you. So it's better to steal it when everyone knows you're no where near the museum."

Sly looked at Bentley. "Where'd you find her again? She's good; I'm starting to like this girl. Or maybe I'm just rusty…"

"All of the above, Cooper," Merah said with a flirty smile. He actually laughed in response.

"Well," Bentley said in obvious disproval at their 'flirty chit-chat', pushing his glasses farther up his nose. "Since Sly's plan is blown out the window, I think I'd like to re-do this little 'plot' on my own. Give me a day's time, and I say we could maybe get the last Element by tomorrow night."

"Seriously?" Sly asked. The turtle nodded. "Awesome. Don't work yourself too hard, buddy."

"I never do," The turtle answered, wheeling himself over to his computer. Sly wagged a stern finger at Penelope, who hadn't said a word so far. She was too busy glaring at the voluptuous-looking Merah, who was wearing her skin-tight black body suit again, and looking idly at her nails.

"Make sure Bentley gets some sleep every once in a while," Sly told Penelope, finally making her pull her icy glare away from the female raccoon. "Okay?"

"I will," She said, giving Sly a smile. "See ya."

"Bye," He replied, smiling as she went over to Bentley's side. Murray came up to him then, looking a little worried.

"Sly," The hippopotamus said slowly. "That black cat chick who came from America… do you find there's something funny about her?"

"Whoa," Sly said, looking up at his big, pink friend, not aware that Merah was listening very intently. "You feel that, too?"

"Yeah," Murray replied, nodding. "I was watching the security cameras while Bentley and Penelope were getting something to eat. She's was yelling at you."

"Yelling at me?" Sly chuckled. "She does it all the time, Murray. _Inspector_ Taylor, to me, won't let me have_ any_ break time. I'm surprised I managed to get today off to come see you guys."

"There's an article about her on the internet, according to Bentley," Murray continued. "He hasn't read it yet, but it's like a biography, or something, I guess. Her history and stuff."

"Really?" Sly asked, suddenly very interested. "Hmm… I'll have to check that out."

Suddenly Sly's cell phone started to ring, and he pulled it out of his coat pocket, flipping it open, and holding it up to his ear.

"Y'ello," He greeted in a very unprofessional-like manner. His greeting sounded like 'yellow'. He heard Carmelita's laugh on the other side.

"The Chief would be very unimpressed with you if you answered the phone like that," She said. Sly chuckled.

"I figured it was you," He explained simply. "What's up?"

"Has Constable Sly Cooper noticed how long he has been gone?" Carmelita asked on the other line.

"He admits no," Sly said, finding it amusing they were referring to himself in the third person. The thought of Mishelle at the web-site article about her left his mind completely. "But if he were to look at the clock"– he looked around Bentley's lab for a clock. He didn't see one –"only to discover there _was_ no clock, he would have to inquire to his lovely working partner – and girlfriend – what time it was."

"Its quarter to three, Sly," She answered flatly. Sly could hear the blare of a car horn on the other end, and he realized she must be driving. "You've been gone for three hours. And Mishelle is tearing the entire office apart."

"Ooh, goody." Sly said sarcastically. "What's eating her this time?"

"Lord knows," Carmelita replied. "I guess something Harry said. Now she's storming around claiming no body trusts her. This is why I've left the office, as a matter of fact."

"Good," Sly said. "Because I was planning to take you out to dinner tonight."

"Again?" Carmelita asked.

"What do you mean _again_?" The raccoon asked, putting a mock-hurt tone in his voice. "We haven't been out in weeks."

"Just one week, Sly," She answered flatly again, but he heard the hint of amusement in her voice.

"And seven days too long," He replied. "Early dinner. You come get me by that old run-down Opera house, we'll go out, and take it all from there. What do you say?"

"Be there in half an hour, Ringtail," Carmelita said, and she clicked the line off.

"Fun-filled evening planned from tonight?" Merah asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. Sly flashed a charming grin in her direction, ready for a come-back.

"Almost as fun as the nights you've had this past week with Robin, Miss Ringo," He replied. He saw her flush under her fur.

"That's none of your business!" She screeched.

"Aha!" Sly said, triumphant. "I _knew _you were the reason Robin was leaving the office early! I was wondering why he started to smell oddly like roses…"

Merah just crossed her arms over her chest, and exhaled deeply through her nose. She wasn't all that happy. Then she turned to Murray, who looked really confused.

"Remind Bentley to give me a call before you guys set out for the heist," She said to the confused hippo.

"Uh," Murray said, scratching the back of his head. "Sure thing, Merah."

"Later," The female raccoon said, and she turned and left the lab quickly.

* * *

Half an hour later, Sly watched as Carmelita's car pulled over next to the side-walk in front of the old Opera House. It had been abandoned for at least four or five decades. Once the car had slowed to a stop, Sly went around the front of the car, and slipped into the passenger side, leaning over, and giving Carmelita a romantic, loving kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked softly once she had pulled away slightly.

"I'm saying hello," Sly replied, grinning. "Is that so wrong?"

Carmelita smiled back. "No. I guess not."

"You guess…?" Sly said, kissing her again. After a minute, she pulled away quickly, and put a finger to his lips.

"What happened to going out?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Aww," Sly said in mock disappointment. "Okay. Take us away, Gorgeous."

* * *

Dinner and a movie. That's what they had planned. But since both Sly and Carmelita didn't really want to be in the company of other people, they decided they'd rent a video, or just pick one out of the huge collection Sly had at his apartment. Yes, Cooper actually found time to watch dozens and dozens of movies.

After dinner, they drove home to his apartment, and Sly lead the vixen to an elevator so they could get to the fourth story of the building, where his room was. Hand in hand, they walked down the hallway to his room, talking. Sly was actually naming off some of the films he had and could remember off the top of his head. So far, they had agreed on two.

Taking his house keys from his coat pocket, Sly unlocked the door, and welcomed Carmelita inside. It wasn't as bare as her apartment; Sly had more personal items decorating the place, like pictures and plants. Even some stuff he swiped from the Cooper Vault was lined up nicely on the mantelpiece over his fireplace, currently empty of a fire. Carmelita looked about, impressed.

"It's nice here," She commented. "You've got good taste in furniture."

"Cheapest but best-looking stuff I could find," Sly said, closing the door behind him and taking off his shoes and coat. "Anyway… make yourself at home. I'll make some popcorn, get a few sodas, and we can pick out a movie and relax. I'll get a fire going, too."

"Do you want any help?" Carmelita asked. Sly shook his head.

"Go get comfortable on the couch," He ordered, ushering her out of the kitchen and into the living room. "I'll tell you what; you can pick out the movie."

"Hooray," Carmelita said in a joking tone, and she went to the TV to pick out a DVD from the shelf next to it.

About twenty minutes later, the pair was snuggled up on the couch, watching a romance film. A fire was crackling in the fireplace. Neither of them had touched the popcorn; it had been left, forgotten, on the coffee table, along with the sodas.

Sly smiled softly when Carmelita's head found the perfect spot on his shoulder, and he put an arm around her shoulders. Forgetting the movie that was still playing, he directed his attention on her, and kissed the top of her head, making her look at him. She smiled lightly.

"Thanks for dinner, by the way," She said quietly. Sly nuzzled her nose.

"You're welcome," He said, his voice the same level as hers. She kissed him quickly before moving to rest her head back on his shoulder, but he had already claimed her lips again, returning her shy kiss with a deep and loving one. Carmelita moved slightly, so it was easier for her to kiss him back, and her arms found their way around his neck, causing her to be drawn closer to him.

Sly ran his fingers through her hair, caressing her back gently. The shy, small kiss she had given him only a few moments ago caused something greater than either had anticipated. The movie played on, completely forgotten as the two became so wrapped up in each other. Each movement followed the next perfectly, as if they were sharing a conversation they've always wanted to have. Eventually, clothing was discarded around the room, and they found themselves in Sly's bedroom. They each responded to the other's action with an action of their own, taking the act further with each passing minute. The lovemaking continued until they eventually fell asleep in each other's arms on the bed.

* * *

Sly wasn't in a good mood the next morning, and Carmelita had a good idea for the reasoning. Their actions last night had been something Sly had wanted to save until marriage, but passion got the better of him, and clouded his judgment. He felt as if he had practically forced it on her because he had started the kissing, and that lead to the rest. She didn't see why he was so upset about it, though. She had wanted it as much as he did, even if he thought the timing wasn't right.

"You can't stay angry at yourself," She said as she dressed. Sly, who had just gotten out of the shower and was wearing his boxers under his jeans already, threw the towel he had used on the bed in irritation.

"Yes I can," He answered. "I didn't think it would go that far."

"Neither of us thought it would go that far," Carmelita replied, and she went up to him, giving him a kiss. "Look, I'm not mad. It was both of us. Not just you. So stop kicking yourself."

"I just…" He sighed. "I never want to hurt you. Okay?"

"Okay," She said, smiling at him. "And you didn't."

"Okay…" He said. He gave her a kiss, returning the one she gave him, and the continued to get dressed. They needed to get to the Louvre for guard duty today, and if they were late, Mishelle would yell at them. Even louder than she normally did.

* * *

Throughout the day, Sly had been too distracted with his irritation about what happened to keep focused on his work. He respected Carmelita, and for him to go and do that to her left a bad taste in his mouth. He felt like a dirty old pervert, even though he _knew _she didn't mind what they had done.

The distraction continued even as he sat in the team van, now off duty, and on their way to the Louvre for the heist. Merah was the first to notice something different in Sly's demeanor , and she had a pretty good idea what had caused it, but she wasn't going to ask him and make sure. That would probably just make him angry, and he deserved privacy.

Merah lead the way through the museum that evening, as Sly was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really pay attention. Eventually, when he almost tripped an alarm (another factor very unlike him), she confronted him, finally getting a little bit annoyed.

"Look," She said in an undertone. "Do you want to go wait back in the van? Because I can do this on my own."

"Huh?" Sly asked. "Oh. No, I'm okay."

"Try and stay focused, okay, Cooper?" Merah asked. Sly nodded.

"Yeah," He said absently. "Focus…"

"That means staying in the moment, and not getting distracted by whatever it was you and Carmelita were doing last night." She said, poking him in the shoulder to bring him back to reality.

"Hey," Sly warned. "That's my business."

"So keep it your business, and don't give it away by thinking back on it all the time," Merah replied. Then, before Sly could reply with a snide comment, she suddenly gasped when she heard a voice behind them down the hallway, and he shoved Sly in the direction of a pipe that was attached to the wall.

"Climb," She hissed to him, and he obeyed but putting his cane in his mouth, and grabbing hold of the pipe, climbing his way upward. Merah followed behind him just as two people came around the corner.

Mishelle and Harry.

Merah's eyes narrowed at the sight of them, and Sly noticed her suddenly tense up. He looked back at her, and took his cane from his mouth.

"What's wrong?" He whispered. Merah just shushed him. Mishelle and Harry passed below them in silence. It was obvious Mishelle wasn't in the mood for talking, and Harry looked a little bit upset about that. The female raccoon shook her head slowly.

"Come on," She said, jumping down from the pipe and landing lightly on her feet. "Let's find that stone and get out of here before we run into any more officers."

"Agreed," Sly answered, and he followed Merah down the halls at a sprint. Fifteen minutes later, they stopped at an exhibit for Africa, and mounted on the forehead of a Zulu Warrior Helmet was the Lightning Stone. Merah crossed her arms over her chest as she walked up to it, thinking.

"It's gonna be hard to get it out of the helmet," She said. "Do you think you can knock it loose with your cane?"

"Won't that break it?" Sly asked. Merah grinned.

"Remember when I threw the Wind Stone at the guard?" She asked. "Nah, it won't break. Go ahead, don't hold back."

Sly used his cane to whack at the yellow stone embedded in the forehead of the African helmet. After about four or five whacks, it popped free, and Merah caught it before it could hit the floor. She and Sly smiled at each other.

"I was expecting an alarm to go off sometime about now," She said, tossing the stone up into the air and catching it. "I'm relieved an alarm _didn't_ go off, though. Bentley is quite the wiz at taking down security."

That was the cue for the alarm to kick in. Merah's smile fell flat on the floor, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, isn't _this_ wonderful," She said sarcastically. Sly grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hallway, only to be greeted by a number of guards chasing them. Much to Sly's horror, one of them was…

"_Carmelita_…" He whispered to himself. She wasn't supposed to be on duty tonight… why was she here?

"Let's go," Sly said to Merah, making his voice deeper so Carmelita wouldn't recognize it. Merah noticed this, but didn't bother to ask why. She just ran at full sprint along-side him.

Eventually, they came to the area where the Blue Diamond was being held. Merah suddenly skidded to a halt, and tossed the yellow stone to Sly, who had stopped too, looking panicky.

"Take it and go!" She called after him. "I'll hold these guys off. I'll meet up with you."

Sly didn't need telling twice. He ran at full sprint towards the exit. Bentley and Penelope were waiting there for him.

"What happened with the security?" Sly demanded. The turtle was quivering with panic.

"I-I-I-I don't know!" He spluttered, throwing his arms up into the air dramatically. "I must have accidentally tripped an alarm switch, or something!"

"We'd better get out of here," Penelope said. "The guards are coming!"

"Freeze!" A voice yelled, and Sly recognized it as Carmelita's.

"Out the door!" He ordered, and shoved the other two outside. Merah could get out on her own. They had to move. Sly slammed the door shut right as Carmelita started making a run towards them, and guilt gripped his chest tightly.

"I'm _so _sorry, Carmelita…" He whispered, and then he chased after Bentley and Penelope to the van. What Sly didn't realize was that he had dropped something on the ground. Just as he got to the van, Merah raced towards him, looking thrilled. She had a big smile on her face, but he couldn't see why. They almost got arrested.

"That was the best!" She exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sly snapped hurriedly, ushering her into the back of the van. "Come on, Murray, drive!"

No sooner than the words left his mouth did the van speed off into the night. Sly hopped into the front seat next to Murray, and he panted.

"That was _way_ too close," He said.

"Hey, we got the stone," Merah said brightly, taking it from Sly's hand. "And we got out alive and un-arrested. We're all good."

"No, we are _not _'_all good_'!" Sly yelled, turning around in his seat to glare at her. "Carmelita was one of those guards! If she recognized me, I'm dead!"

"Take it easy, Sly," Murray said softly.

"Yeah," Merah agreed. "Trust me, she didn't see you. You're home free."

"Technically, there was no way for her to recognize you," Bentley said, trying to make himself calm again. "Unless she saw the cane, but if she did, she would have yelled out your name, wouldn't she?"

"I guess…" The male raccoon muttered.

"Everything will be fine, Sly," Penelope said, patting his shoulder. "It'll turn out okay."

"I hope so…" Sly muttered, setting back down in his seat, and gazing out the window. He, along with everyone else in the van, didn't notice Merah slip something blue, shiny, valuable, and _dangerous_ into a pouch on her belt.

* * *

_I was scared. I didn't know if Carmelita had recognized me, or if she thought I was just another raccoon thief. She didn't yell out my name at all, like Bentley pointed out, so I'm going to hope and pray that she didn't see me. The last thing I want to do is hurt her. If she ever found out that I became a thief again – even if it was for a short while, or even for a good cause – she would be heartbroken. I never want to do that to her._

_We had stolen the last of the Five Elements. Usually, I would feel happy about a successful heist, even if it was a close call. But right now I wasn't. My thoughts were on Carmelita, and how much I hoped I hadn't hurt her. And besides, we still had the blue diamond to steal. _

_That was going to be hard, especially with my guard schedule, and the other guards patrolling that thing around the clock. I would have to keep on my toes for that heist… unlike tonight._

_Throughout these past few heists Bentley has planned, I've considered – many times, actually – to become a thief again. For good. Put down the badge and the gun, and go out and be what my father had trained me to be. What my ancestors had trained me to be. I still, even now, feel as if I let Dad down by becoming a cop. Even if it was for love… Now I'm starting to reconsider. _

_Had the thief really returned? Even I can't answer that…_

* * *

_**End Of:**_

_The Thief Returns  
_

* * *

**A/N: **Well, the major plot is starting to take shape now. MANY things are going to happen from here, and some, I'm not sure if you're going to like, but they've got to happen.

I still haven't had one correct guess about who the major villain is. XD You'll see, you'll see.

Oh, and by the way; thanks to Kit-Karamak for being the editor of this chapter. THANKIES, DUDE! XD

_**R&R!**_


	11. Heartbreak, Loss, Betrayal Pt 1

_**Thieves United**_

* * *

**__**

**_Heartbreak_**

**__**

**A/N:** You'll notice I've given this chapter a title. You'll see why later. XD Enjoy the chapter! 

* * *

**PARIS, FRANCE: 6:30 AM**

* * *

The next morning, an exhausted Sly dragged himself out of bed, and readied himself for work. The day ahead, guarding the Blue Diamond, was going to be a long and boring one with more marching back and forth like a tin soldier, obeying Inspector Taylor's every command.

'_Why do I do this…?_' The raccoon thought bitterly as he pulled a clean, blue t-shirt over his head, messing up his already messed up hair even more. After he tiredly pulled on his jeans, he dragged himself to the bathroom, combed his hair, brushed his teeth, the whole bit, and went to get some breakfast.

By the time he had finished eating his toast, it was quarter to seven already. Noting this, Sly jumped up and scrambled around trying to find his keys. The raccoon ran his fingers, once more, through those soft, tousled locks of his hair, pulling on his jacket. He glanced around the room one last time for his keys, subconsciously patting himself down only to suddenly realize that they had been in his pocket all along. He blinked at the clock on the microwave in his kitchen, noting it was already passed the time that Carmelita was supposed to get there and pick him up.

But she didn't come.

Sly was finding it very odd and unlike her to be late as he tied his shoes. But then again, she _was _working late last night, even if she wasn't supposed to be. She must've been sleeping still, and not have realized what time it was. Picking up the phone, Sly dialed her number only to get the answering machine.

"_You've reached Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox at--"_

He hung up without leaving a message, cutting the machine off. So, if she wasn't answering the phone, she must be at work already. Again, Sly found this odd, but then he decided maybe she left early, trying to figure out who the mysterious thief was from the night before. His friends had drilled it into his head that she couldn't have recognized him as the thief. She would have said something right away, so Sly wasn't worried about it anymore.

Knowing his vixen wasn't going to come get him that morning, Sly left his apartment, locking the door behind him. Remaining calm, he headed for the elevator, with a shiny black helmet under his left arm. He'd take his bike to work today.

* * *

Mishelle Taylor was sitting in Harry's office, her arms crossed, and her bright green eyes were burning a hole in the carpet, where she was staring darkly. Her legs were crossed, too, and she was slumped in her seat. Her head was barely higher than the back of the chair she occupied. Her tail, which hung from the back of the chair and off the seat, was swishing back and forth; clearly showing she was not in a bubbly mood. But then again, was she ever? 

Harry was at his desk, sipping his black coffee. Anything in his coffee, like milk, or cream, or sugar just made him sick. He would glance at Mishelle every so often, but she didn't look at him. An occasional angry growl would emit from deep in her throat once in a while, and whenever she did that, Harry knew better than to talk to her. He knew the feline was still upset about the argument which took placetwo days earlier. He had told her not to go suspecting people, but now he was starting to regret ever saying that. Not only was she not talking to him, but ever since she made note that Merah Ringo was involved with Robin Hood Mace, the Detective hadn't been seen at the office all that much, which everyone found quite strange. As to what he was doing? Certainly, no one knew. And, worst of all, Harry doubted they were going to find out. The arctic fox took another idle sip from his mug, the slurping sound cutting through the uncomfortable silence like a gun going off.

"Are you going to say anything at all?" Westwood asked finally, glowering at the black feline. She just gave that low growl again, her green eyes narrowing even more, but she never tore her gaze away from the carpet. Harry sighed, and set his mug down, clasping his pawstogether like a business man casually discussing an investment, or something.

"Listen, Mishelle," He began slowly and quietly. He saw one of her ears flick in his direction, so he knew he had her attention, and that she was listening. After a moment of pause, he continued; "I know you're mad about what I said. And I'm sorry. Truly, I am. But there's no _proof_, no _hard evidence_ that Robin Mace is involved in Merah Ringo. I just can't believe it until I know it for a _fact_."

Mishelle didn't reply. If it was possible, her eyes narrowed even more. Harry continued in a delicate voice, telling her, "If you can get me proof, I'll believe you. But your suspicion is your enemy right now, and it's making me take this situation like you've cried wolf so I won't believe the truth. And, if I'm going to be honest, you have cried wolf. Many times. Your suspicions _aren't _always correct. This is why I'm not taking this light--"

In a flash, Mishelle was up out of her seat, and she had grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt, literally yanking him up so he was forced to stand out of his chair. She pulled him close to her, so they were almost nose to nose, and her eyes seemed like they were burning a hole in his soul, like they had been burning a hole in the carpet a moment earlier. Harry actually shivered as she replied in a low hiss:

"You want proof, Harold?" She asked, her voice threateninglysoft. "I'll get your proof."

And with that, she shoved him back into his seat, giving him one final, dangerously dirty look, and she turned and walked away, her tail swinging back at forth in obvious irritation. Harry, shifting his weight back into his seat, fixed his shirt as she took hold of the door handle, and yanked the door open, stomping out into the hallway. As if to accent her anger in a melodramatic fit, sheslammed the door behind her hard. So hard, in fact, it caused Harry's cup of coffee to tip over, and fall into his lap.

"Gah!" The grey-furred fox yelled, jumping to his feet when the hot, dark liquid splashed over his pants. "Mother …--"

He took the cup and set it down on the desk again, looking down at his soaked pants. His eye started to twitch with frustration, and eventually, he just let out an angry yell, and started muttering a string of very colorful curses that would probably make The Almighty Lord _himself_ unforgiving.

* * *

Sly entered the office, stepping out of the elevator, and giving waves to a few people as they passed each other. Then he heard a door slam, and Mishelle came storming out of Harry's office, her furry black paws balled into fists, her shoulders squared, and her eyes glaring directly ahead of her. Sly could have sworn the green hue of her eyes had turned to a devil red, she looked so mad. She stomped by him without a word, and made him give her a dirty look that she didn't notice when she hit him in the shoulder with her arm. 

'_That woman could make a nun swear,_' Sly thought as he continued down the hallway towards the shared office with Carmelita. He stopped for a brief moment in front of Robin's office, though. Nobody had really seen him around all that much this past week. Well, not until he showed up at the Louvre, looking sick and really pissed off, anyway. Sly wasn't worried, though. He was probably just spending forbidden time with Merah again, as usual. But it _was_ getting a little concerning, just the same, for him to completely forget his job like that, and go off to be with her. I mean, people were starting to get suspicious, right? If you wanted to keep a secret about your relationship with a thief, you'd at least try to not spend _that _much time with her, no matter how much you wanted to.

He passed the Chief's office, and noted for the first time since Harry and Mishelle arrived in Paris that _he _hadn't been around _either_. The Chief always showed up for work, and his nephew, J.R., would march in through those elevator doors right behind his uncle. As a matter of fact, J.R. hadn't been around much, either, and Modesta had just been sitting at her desk, not really talking to people. The raccoon glanced over at Modesta's cubicle at the thought of her, and wondered if she was sitting there, looking as sullen as usual.

'_I'm going to go make sure J.R. hasn't broken up with her._' Sly thought, his big-brother love for Modesta showing through. '_That moron._' He mentally added, headed for her cubicle. He turned the corner of the divider that separated her cubicle from the others, and saw her sitting there in her computer chair, clicking through files on her computer.

"Hey," Sly said softly, causing the Persian cat to look up. She smiled slightly.

"Hey," She replied, her voice the same level as his. "What are you doing down here at this end of the office?"

"I've noticed J.R. hasn't been around that much lately," Sly said, moving to sit on the edge of her computer desk. "Is something going on between you two?"

Modesta sighed, and looked down at her lap. "No."

"No?" Sly asked, raising a brow casually. "You two haven't gotten in a fight, or anything?"

"What makes you say that?" Constable Tavita said, looking up at the raccoon sharply. He shrugged in reply.

"I dunno, you just seemed… way too mellow for your usual self lately." He said. "Listen, Modesta, I'm… kinda worried about you. I know you think J.R. is a good guy, but I'm afraid he's going to end up hurting you, or something."

"Oh, no," Modesta said, giggling. "Thanks for your concern, Sly, but really, J.R. and I are fine."

"Oh yeah?" Sly asked.

"Yes."

"Then why did your ears just droop?" Sly's eyes flitted over her soft facial features, ever the perceptible man that he was. Those beautiful, jade-mixed-amber orbs of her eyes. The delicate nose and her now-laid ears. A frown marred her delicate visage and the 'big brother' heart in Sly's chest sank even further.

Modesta pressed her ears back against her head in a sort of anxious way, and she looked down at her lap again. "J.R. and I are fine, but… I'm kind of worried about Jacey. I mean,you know, the Chief."

Sly raised a brow when she called the Chief by his first name, but decided not to mention it. "Why's that?"

"Remember… when he was acting so strangely when Mishelle and Harry came the first day?" She asked softly. Sly nodded in response, and her golden-green eyes grew sad and she continued in a whisper. "J.R. got a call a few days ago saying that his uncle was in the hospital. He's been poisoned."

"What?" Sly asked, shocked. Modesta nodded slowly. Sly blinked rapidly, thinking back over the last few days. He was surprised that he'd not heard of this up until now.

"It's not fatal," She said. "He'll live, but he's very ill, and… well, I'm just worried. That's why both the Chief and J.R. haven't been here. J.R.'s visiting him at the hospital."

"Wow…" The raccoon muttered softly. "I… wish I'd known. Is J.R. okay?"

"He's worried," Modesta said. "But he's convinced the Chief will be okay. He's sitting up in bed, and talking, but he refuses to drink anything unless he watches the nurses pour it out for him. It's understandable… I mean, being _poisoned_? It was obviously someone from the office."

"But who would want to poison the Chief?" Sly asked. "The only person who'll become Chief next is J.R. himself, and J.R. wouldn't poison his own Uncle just to get the Chief Job sooner. If anything, whoever wanted to become Chief would just poison J.R. _because _he's next for the job." Sly paused in his audibly spoken logical thoughts when he saw Modesta's expression change to something of near horror.

"Don't say that!" She exclaimed worriedly. "I don't want to think about what will happen if J.R. gets sick, or poisoned, or hurt, or… _anything_!"

"I'm just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together…" Cooper said softly. "But, we'll do that later. I came by to see if you were feeling okay"

"I am," Modesta said, her smile returning slowly. Sly went on to ask her questions about how her relationship with J.R. was going. She said things were going fine, and that they were going steady. They talked for a while about past events, and things they hadn't been able to talk about since this whole case started. It felt good to be talking to Modesta again, Sly thought.

* * *

Robin was at the Louvre, looking around the deserted, closed museum for clues. Yes, he was _actually _doing real detective work that he hadn't had the chance to do for a long time. And he was looking for clues that all pointed towards Mishelle Taylor. 

He looked through all of the exhibits, going through the ones where the Elemental stones had once been. He knew Merah had helped with stealing those, but it was his job to look around anyway. Then he came to the empty area where the Blue Diamond was.

Robin raised a brow, wondering why there were no guards around. That's when he saw something that wrenched his heart out of his chest.

"Damn!" The male fox yelled. Then he pulled out his phone, and dialed a few numbers.

* * *

"All five…" Bentley whispered as he put the yellow topaz gem of Lightning into the vault he had made. He set the stone on the bottom left-hand point of the star, in the little slot he had made for it, and then wheeled himself backwards to look at it before he closed the vault. Five pieces of the puzzle were in place. Now all they needed was the final piece. 

"Just the Blue Diamond left," The turtle said to himself. Then he pressed the button on the wall, and let the vault close before he wheeled his way over to his computer. As he boredly sifted through websites, he came across one that he had bookmarked, but hadn't yet read. He clicked on it, and immediately, a photograph of Inspector Mishelle Taylor popped up onto the screen. There was a lot of information written on her on this page. Knowing Sly didn't know that much about her, but wanted to, Bentley started to read. Some of the truths he learned shocked him to the core.

* * *

"Stupid... frikkin... that damn bastard Harold…" Mishelle muttered and she stomped out of the Parisian Interpol Headquarters towards her car. She wrenched the door open, throwing herself into the driver's side, and slamming the door next to her. She had dual driver's licenses, one for America, and one for England, where they drove on the opposite side of the road. She sat in her car for a moment, seething, and then she pulled out her cell phone, dialing a number. An overly-hyper male voice, one which fit perfectly with the overly-hyper male owner, was what answered the phone. 

"Hello,thisisSkippy,snipersupremeandminiontoJohnson!" The voice said, all very quickly so that his words were slurred together. Mishelle, surprisingly, could make out what he was saying.

"Skippy, you moron," She snapped. "If you answer the phone like that, and another cop gets a hold of this number, you'll be arrested for sure. I don't think Johnson will be all that pleased to hear the name go out."

"I knew it was you," The one called Skippy replied on the other line. "Whaddya want, Tay? I thought you were in America?"

"I _was _in America," Mishelle answered. "I'm in Paris on a case for two people. Johnson, and the American police Chief. It was only my luck that Westwood was assigned to the case of the Blue Diamond; the very artifact that Johnson wants me to steal."

"Why didn't Johnson call _me _to do it?" Skippy said loudly, obviously stomping his feet in frustration at not being picked to do this assignment. "I'm in Paris, I'm close by, I could easily drive up there from Dijon to do the dirty work, why didn't--"

"Because you're a klutz and a moron when it comes to my work," Mishelle yelled into the phone. She heard Skippy give a squeak of surprise when she yelled. "This is my job, Skip."

"Then why did you call me?"

"Has Johnson contacted you at all?" Mishelle asked, ignoring Skippy's question.

"No," He said. "Johnson has not contacted me. Why?"

"Johnson'll want you to help me when this is all folded out," Mishelle said. "Once I steal that Diamond, and find the other stones, you'll need to come with me to the North Pole, so we can put the stones in place, and do what we need to do."

"Woot, woot, woot, woot!" Skippy shouted joyfully, his words slurred together again. "Finally, some action! Have you ever thought pairing all those stones together might be dangerous, though?"

"Johnson would have warned us if it was." Mishelle replied. "Just keep an ear and en eye out for me. I may need your sniper expertise sometime in the future. You may have to pose as a cop, too."

"Like you?" Skippy asked. "Ah… no, Taylor, I don't think the copper-business really works for me."

"You'll do it if you want to help Johnson," Mishelle said flatly. "Because Johnson will tell you to do it. Expect a call soon. I'll see you around."

She clicked off her phone before Skippy could reply, and she slumped back in her seat. Her green eyes glared at the exterior brick wall of the Interpol Headquarters.

"Soon it'll all come together," She said softly and darkly. "Soon…"

Then she turned the keys in the ignition, put the car in reverse, backed out of her parking spot, and pulled into the traffic, going off to look for Merah.

* * *

Merah was sitting in Robin's apartment, trying to get a hold of him on his cell phone, but it was no use. It just kept ringing busy. Who the hell he was talking to for that long, she had no idea, but if it was another woman she didn't know about, Robin would be dead that evening. 

She finally gave up trying to call him, and set the phone down on the coffee table, taking up the large, blue-tinted diamond. She weighed the dangerous and priceless object in her hand, looking at it closely. Then she got up from the couch, and went into Robin's room. She was going to hide it, and tell him about it when she could. She needed to keep it from Mishelle…

* * *

The over-energized squirrel hopped around his run-down, filthy apartment excitedly. He still clutched the phone in his hand from when he stopped talking with Taylor, and with a whoop, he threw the phone at the couch. 

His large mouth was pulled into a tight, Cheshire cat grin, and that grin rarely ever left his face. His eyes were large, and nearly bulging out of his head, giving him a look of pure insanity. No sooner than he threw the phone at the couch, however, did it start to ring. Skippy the Insane Squirrel stopped his random and unnecessary cheering, and looked at the phone.

"Aw, nuts," He said irritably, and marched over to the phone, scooping it up, and pressing the talk button. "Yeah, what now?"

"Skippy!" A curt voice on the other line snapped. Skippy shuddered.

"Johnson!" He exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I thought you were Mishelle, I'm sorry!"

"That's… fine." The voice said. It was soft and feminine, a voice you wouldn't usually expect from a dangerous criminal like Johnson was. "Mishelle… has she left the Interpol office?"

"I dunno," Skippy said, plopping down onto the couch, a cloud of dust rising up into the air. "Why?"

"She must be out looking for Ringo, then…" Johnson said softly, not really talking to the squirrel that could easily pass off as the energizer bunny.

"Ringo?" Skippy asked. "Ringo. RINGO!"

"Yes!" Johnson snapped. "Ringo! That pesky raccoon is here in Paris. Skippy; next time Mishelle calls you, I want you to get yourself to Paris. Is that understood? Mishelle has plans to… frame a certain detective little Miss Ringo seems to have a soft spot for. He's been skipping work to go and see her. Next time Mishelle calls, sign yourself up as a cop from Russia, or something. Help Mishelle arrest Ringo and the detective, Mace. Then they'll be out of our way. We can find the missing Five Elements, get the Blue Diamond, and everything will be set. We'll have the world by the end of the week."

"Do I get to do any sniper-work?" Skippy asked hopefully. A laugh came from the other line.

"Certainly," Johnson said. "Some sniper-work would be greatly appreciated."

* * *

"Get me that glass of water there, Jamison." 

The portly brown dog pointed his nephew in the direction of a cup of clear liquid sitting on his bed-side table. Why the heck he couldn't get it himself, J.R. had no idea, for it was right next to him, but the black and while malamute husky picked it up, and handed it to his uncle.

"Almost ready to get out of here?" J.R. asked Chief Jacey, settling back into his chair next to his uncle's hospital bed. Jacey looked around the room in disgust.

"Hell, yes," He replied. "These pink curtains make me sick. They're pink, Jamison, _pink_! I hate pink."

"I know," J.R. answered with forced patience. Jacey had already told him that more than once that day.

"When I find out who put that poison in my coffee, Jamison, they're fired. Do you hear me? _FIRED_!"

"Shh!" J.R. said, trying to shush his uncle. "Quite down, Uncle. The nurses will think I'm hurting you."

"Let them think that," Jacey replied, a grin forming on his lips. "Personally, I wouldn't be that entirely disappointed if that cute blonde one came in. You know, the tall one, with the short hair. Dixie, that's her name. She thinks you're quite the catch, Jamison."

"Yeah," J.R. said, nodding irritably. "Too bad I'm already involved in a relationship with _Modesta Tavita_, so too bad for Dixie."

"You're still going out with that Spanish girl?"

"Yes," J.R. replied, slightly taken aback by his uncle question. "Why?"

"You've never been interested in a woman this long," Jacey mused, looking his nephew over. The young malamute shrugged.

"I guess Modesta was… just the one," J.R. said. "She's special. She's has this kind of aura thing going on that makes her easy to trust. I guess that's why I'm drawn to her."

"What happened to your infatuation with Carmelita Fox?" Jacey asked casually, sipping his water. J.R. scoffed.

"She's in love with Constable Cooper," He said. "Besides, Modesta is so much cuddlier than Carmelita ever seemed to be. I'm not sure it would be all that comfortable to snuggle with Miss Fox, no matter how beautiful she is."

"An iron will that woman has," Jacey said thoughtfully. "She's a good officer. One hell of a shocker, though, when she brought back Cooper and claimed he was a cop. Amnesia, she said. Do you believe that he has Amnesia?"

"It's highly possible," J.R. replied. "I mean, he had one nasty bump on the head when she brought him back. She was telling him every made-up story in the book. I guess she just didn't have the heart to arrest someone who'd lost their memories."

"No, she was in love with a thief, that's what it was," Jacey said. "I knew she was smitten with him, I knew she felt something there ever since she got handcuffed in Russia and whenever anyone asked her about it, she'd get angry and defensive."

J.R. chuckled softly. "They make a good couple, though. Cooper and Fox."

Jacey nodded quietly and pondered for a while before suddenly announcing, "Why are we talking about this?"

The black and while dog laughed at Jacey's question. "I don't know, Uncle."

"How's that, uh… BD case going, by the way?" He asked. J.R. sighed.

"It's… fine. Inspector Taylor's practically running it all, when Inspector _Westwood_ is supposed to be the ringleader." He said. "How the heck did Harry get partnered up with someone like Mishelle, anyway? I thought her record would prevent her from ever becoming a cop."

"Harry pulled some strings, I think," The Chief sighed. "He did it for love. Poor ol' bloke. Mishelle doesn't give a damn about him, not one care in the world, and he treats her like she's the most wonderful thing in this universe."

* * *

Returning from Modesta's cubicle, making sure she was alright, Sly made his way towards his shared office with Carmelita. He put her hand around the door handle, turned it, and pushed the door open, stepping into the office. As he expected, Carmelita was sitting at her desk, moving her rotating chair back and forth in a rocking-like motion. She didn't smile when he came in, and Sly cocked an eyebrow. 

"'Morning," He said casually. "Why did you come to work early today?"

"Why did you come to work late?" Carmelita replied with a question, keeping her eyes on him. Sly couldn't really read her expression entirely well, and her eyes weren't telling him how she was feeling.

"I was out late last night." He said. "Doing work. And then I was just talking to Modesta before I came in here."

It wasn't a total lie. His work was associated with getting the Elements and the Blue Diamond so she, Carmelita, and the rest of the world wouldn't see doomsday. She didn't seem to want to settle with his answer, however.

"What kind of work?" She asked, her voice eerily calm.

"Work for… the Blue Diamond case." Sly said, still trying to read her emotions. This was partially true, too, only his work _wasn't _associated with the police. "Carmelita, are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, I'm just fine," Carmelita said, her voice cheery, but her eyes didn't hold the same sort of cheeriness her voice did. Sly gave her a sideways look.

"You seem a little… tense, that's all." He said observantly.

"I'm not tense," She replied, her voice flat. "Where did you go last night for your… _work_?"

"Around," Sly answered. "Why do I feel like this is an interrogation?"

"Were you at the Louvre last night?" Carmelita asked, ignoring his question.

"No," Sly lied, not liking where this was going. "I was… at home. Doing computer work. Looking through the case files, and whatnot."

He moved closer to her desk, and said slowly, "Look, are you sure you're alri--"

Carmelita stood up from her chair suddenly, cutting him off. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously, and she looked like she wanted to tear him apart. Sly just looked over her angry face, feeling guilty and worried.

"Not at the Louvre, huh?" She asked, her voice quiet. "Then explain to me why I found _this_."

She threw something down on the desk in front of him, and Sly let his gaze linger over her for a moment before he looked down at the object she threw on the desk. His heart leapt into his throat, and he had to swallow hard. Sitting there, on the desk, was his calling card. The Cooper Clan raccoon symbol, painted on the side of the van. Sly never realized how this small slip of folded paper could cause him so much pain and damage.

"I--"

"I can't believe you," Carmelita said, obviously outraged. Sly sighed, and held up a hand, trying to explain.

"Carmelita, listen, I--"

"You lied to me!" She shouted. "Again! And to my face, just now! Not at the Louvre, Sly? Did you think I wasn't going to find out?"

"It's for a good reason." Sly said, trying not to lose control of his emotions.

"There is _never _a good reason to steal priceless artifacts such as the Five Elements, Sly." She said firmly. "There is _never _a good reason to _lie_. And not only did you break your promise to me last time, you swore you weren't a thief anymore, too. And-and-and… and then you go and do this!"

"I'm doing this for your life!" Sly said loudly.

"My life?" Carmelita said. "What does my life have anything to do with this? You stole the Five Elements! I should arrest you right this second!"

"If you'll give me a chance to explain, Carmelita--"

"No." Carmelita said firmly, cutting Sly off. "I'm done with the explanation. I'm done being lied to. Was your love a lie? God dammit, Sly, I don't even know if I should believe a damn word you say anymore! And… two nights ago. Did that mean nothing to you?"

"Carmelita, that night meant the world to me," Sly said softly. "I cherish that moment. It was the greatest thing that could have ever happened between us, even if I'm still angry with myself for letting it go that far."

Carmelita scoffed. "Now, see, I can't believe that now because… you're a lying criminal, and I don't trust you."

"Carmelita, please," Sly begged, trying to move closer to her, but she shoved him away.

"Don't touch me." She ordered, glaring at him. "Don't touch me, don't come near me, don't… you know what? Just get out."

The Raccoon still had his paws held up, defensively. "Okay, look, I know it was wrong for me to lie, and break my promise, but there are some pretty evil people at work here," Sly said as she pushed him towards the door. She didn't answer to his explanation, and continued to shove him towards the door. "Carmelita, I'm serious! If I didn't go and steal those stones, the whole world would be destroyed."

"Get out!" Carmelita yelled, and pushed him out into the hallway. "I don't want to hear anything else you have to say!"

Sly tried to get back into the office, but she slammed the door in his face. The raccoon opened his mouth to say something, but not sound came out. He had nothing to say. Carmelita was right. He was a lying criminal and he destroyed her trust.

He heard something go thunk against the door, and as he pressed his ear against the flat, wooden surface, he could hear the anguished sobs coming from his beloved Carmelita. She… she was crying. She was crying because of him. Sly sighed miserably, and leaned his forehead against the door. It took all of his will power not to break down into tears, because he really, really wanted to.

'_I'm sorry, Carmelita…_' He thought sadly, closing his eyes tightly against the desire to let tears fall. '_I'm so sorry I've hurt you so much…_'

He left the office door in defeat, deciding he would go home. He couldn't work if his partner wasn't speaking to him, and wanted nothing to do with him, so he would check with the secretary, sign himself out as sick, and leave. It wasn't really because he would be bored here, though; Sly felt like he wanted to vomit, he was so disgusted with himself for lying to Carmelita, breaking his promise to her, using her. Because he had done all of that.

"Constable Cooper?" A soft, feminine voice said from the secretary's desk. The raccoon looked up at the white, female mouse sitting at the desk, her ruby-brown eyes watching him closely behind her large, round-rimmed glasses, her brown hair tied back in a bun. She looked very much like a librarian. She was even a hint like Penelope but different. Sly sighed.

"Sign me out as sick, Mimi," He said softly. "I'm going home."

"Would you like me to inform Inspector Fox of your departure?" Mimi the secretary asked, typing on her keyboard. Well, at least no one heard their argument, Sly thought bitterly. He shook his head.

"No," He said. "She knows I'm leaving. See you later."

"Try and feel better, Constable," Mimi called after him kindly. Sly just gave a wave, and dragged himself to the elevator.

* * *

_I felt like I wanted to die. I had hurt Carmelita so badly… and knowing that I caused her pain, it caused** me** pain. I wanted to blame Bentley for all of this. If it wasn't for him trying to drag me into this thief business again, Carmelita and I would probably still be together. But it wasn't Bentley's fault. It was my fault for not telling her. _

_I went to my apartment, and I immediately went to bed. I thought I'd sleep this off, but as soon as I slipped under the covers, the memory of two nights ago with Carmelita came flooding back. The bed would remind me of her, and right now, I just wanted to escape from my pain._

_So, I went to go sleep on the couch. But the memory of the same night when we were snuggled up on the couch and watching the movie came back, as well. I got up in frustration, and paced around my apartment for a while, just thinking about what a jerk I've been to Carmelita. Then, I decided to go and visit Bentley and the others. They'd console me… and maybe I could actually get some sleep there to take my mind off things._

_As I drove over there, I got a call on my cell phone from Bentley. He told me to get to the hideout right away. I told him I was on my way anyway, so I hurried over there, and asked what was wrong. He had some very unsettling news to tell me._

* * *

**Sly Cooper In:**

_Heartbreak, Loss, and Betrayal_

* * *

**A/N: **More questions arise in this chapter. Mishelle's motives are not what Interpol expected, that's for sure. And what could have possibly been on that webpage about her that Bentley found? And who is this Johnson character? You'll just have to wait and see. 

R&R!

_**Read This:**_

Oh, and by the way, thanks very much (again) to Kit Karamak for editing this chapter for me. Even if the last chapter he 'edited' wasn't the one that was posted. XD If any loyal readers noticed a few changes in the wording, and such, that'd be Kit. I tried to compromise some stuff, so it would still be his editing, but more in my style, but there was one part, where Sly's watching Modesta at the beginning of the chapter, and that was all Kit. Go, yay! He's imprinted himself on my story. XD Thanks, dawg. P-sout! XDD

Oh yeah, and Kit? Sly actually _didn't _look over that site about Mishelle. Murray simply mentioned it, and Sly made a note to look into it, but a call from Carmelita soon after made him forget. So there.

Hope you all liked!


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